Into the Dark
by anditcametopass
Summary: Placing first during initiation, Teddy finds herself chosen for the Leadership Training. However, finding out why Eric chose her as his candidate might prove to be more difficult than the training itself.
1. Prologue

Unable to move and not entirely lucid, Teddy could still hear everything happening around her. She kept yelling, hoping someone would hear her. She could hear the clunky boots that could only belong to Dauntless soldiers and the weapons being drawn clicked expertly and cleanly.

"I'm here!" She kept saying. "Don't shoot!" But her voice carried no weight. Images swam before her that she couldn't make sense of. She was freezing and her teeth kept clacking together as she shivered. Everything hurt.

And then she was being carried. She tried to fight them, horrified that she was being taken away, being hidden from her faction, being taken further away from him. But they clutched her tight, keeping their touch gentle as they whispered something she couldn't quite make out, but for some reason, it caused her eyes to shoot open, her body finally able to relax as she met his gaze and managed to mumble something out.

"You're mine."

* * *

 **Hey all, so here's another Eric/OC fic. I've posted this on Tumblr already, and there's a link to my tumblr on my page if you ever have any questions or just wanna chat. I also have another fic with the same characters, it's just a slight AU, it's called Sunday Morning, which is posted here, too. Anyway, hope you enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 1

"You have each been selected according to your rankings." It was a Monday morning; one month after her initiation and Teddy Riora was beginning her Leadership Training. Each of the current Dauntless leaders had handpicked one person of various years given their rank during initiation. Each of these people had ranked first during their time. The difference in ages came because there would be two openings later this year after two of the Leaders retired.

"Each of you will shadow the Leader who chose you and learn what you can. At the end of your training, two of you will become new leaders while the rest will move on to new work."

"Here is what you need to study." The five candidates were each passed a heavy binder. Teddy was surprised at the weight, but then she figured there was more to being a leader than strutting about the compound and resolving fights when necessary.

"This will be similar to initiation, in which you will be trained physically, emotionally and mentally. You will also be trained in tactical devising, communications, management and technical programming. The three of you who are not chosen for the leadership positions will be transferred to one of those areas." Teddy tried to hide her relief. She couldn't fathom working in a shop or alongside the soldiers along the Fence; she wanted something thrilling, something to keep her from getting bored. She was glad that even if she wasn't cut to be a leader, that she'd still have some control and would always manage to be busy.

"Now, if you'll open your manuals, you'll see who you'll be shadowing and your schedules for the following weeks. Be prompt, take notes and give it your all. We will accept nothing less than the best." Teddy opened her binder and nearly dropped it in surprise when she saw who had chosen her, _Eric Coulter_.


	3. Chapter 2

Teddy figured she'd have the advantage during this program. After all, she'd just finished initiation and so was in great shape. She'd found a way to manage all of her fears and had come out of initiation at the top of her class. She had no doubt in her skills and was, in fact, eager to learn more. She read that while she'd be doing a boot camp with the other candidates, they'd also be going over fear landscapes again. She figured it was for those who were a bit out of practice; she'd also be shadowing Eric to meetings and would observe him in what he did around the compound; how he operated and whatnot.

Mornings were reserved for boot camp. After lunch were various meetings or other tasks and after dinner, they'd deal with the fear simulations, at least for the first three weeks. After the fears had been conquered or controlled, they'd move on to the different training programs. Being only a month out of the initial initiation, Teddy thought she'd be exempt from the landscapes, but she was expected to be there after dinner, just like everybody else.

The next morning, Teddy woke up with her alarm and was ready for a run around the city. She was correct about being the best in shape, having just finished with initiation. While the others, whom she learned were Amy, Zoe, Andre and Mathias, were expected to be in great shape, they still lagged behind. Clearly, they weren't used to the hard run. While Andre would make up for it in muscle mass, it also hindered him. Amy and Zoe were slim and toned, but it was obvious that they spent more time focused on other workouts rather than running. Mathias went back and forth with lagging behind, then picking his speed back up. Teddy figured him for a sprinter. He didn't seem that much older than her, his limbs still slightly gawky, his movements slightly out of form.

Max came to join them after their run to show them more forms of fighting. It was a form of kickboxing that Teddy had never seen before. She was aware of Eric's constant gaze and hoped to pick up on the form quickly; something bubbled within her that wanted her mentor's approval. Despite not knowing much about the leader that had chosen her, she didn't want to disappoint. Just because she was the youngest in this group didn't mean she couldn't prove her worth.

By the time they dispersed for lunch, Teddy could feel her thighs and hips protesting. They'd spent hours on the punching bags to get their form perfect and they were all feeling it. Teddy knew she'd have to condition those muscles to progress and learn more.

"You have good form." Eric's baritone interrupted her thoughts. She was surprised to see him sitting next to her, taking bites of his sandwich. They'd never really spoken before, even when he came to observe her class during initiation. She had mostly kept to herself, questioning Four only when necessary and only daring to mutter her snide comments when she believed no one else could hear. She was familiar with his booming voice, but not his conversational one. "You need to put on more muscle." She nodded once, already knowing her downfall Despite the physical training her first three months at Dauntless, and being the oldest in her class, she'd still managed to keep her youthful curves. "After your fear landscape, we'll go to the gym and we'll work with the weights."

"Is that allowed?" She muttered back. "Isn't that an unfair advantage?" Her tone was soft.

"Don't be such a princess about it. And no," his tone was firm. "The gym is open at all hours, you know that." So he'd kept an eye on her during initiation. That was certainly news to her. His lips were twisted into a smirk, as though he were teasing her. Teddy didn't know how to respond to that. "Besides, I'm your mentor. I'm here to teach and push you past the brink in any way necessary. For now, it's with muscle." He eyed her lunch tray. "Finish your food, you'll need the protein."

There were no meetings after lunch, so Teddy spent the afternoon with the leaders and some of the TAC force going over blueprints of the city and forming teams into patrol units around the city. And at dinner, Teddy found herself surrounded by the other candidates. Amy and Zoe were siblings, just eighteen months apart. They were Dauntless-born and Teddy almost admired the way their facial piercings glinted under the fluorescent lights.

Andre was also a Dauntless-born. Apparently, he was somehow related to Max, which he kept saying gave him an unfair advantage. He had an easy smile, but the scarring on his knuckles told Teddy that he could pack a punch. Mathias seemed the most laid back. He was Candor-born and had transferred the year before Teddy.

"I've been working in the infirmary for the past year." He informed everyone. "I think I surprised everyone by being good at paperwork." Teddy gave a half-smile at that.

"Wouldn't that be the Nose's job?" Zoe lifted a pierced brow in Teddy's direction.

"Well, I see several noses here." Mathias responded. "Including my own." He crossed his eyes, causing Teddy's half-smile to turn into a wide grin. Andre let out a loud laugh while the girls just scoffed and finished their food, leaving the cafeteria arm-in-arm.

"You nervous for the fear sims?" Andre asked them. Mathias shrugged, but Teddy shook her head. "Well, you wouldn't, you finished them…what? A month ago?"

"Roughly." She admitted. "I doubt they've changed since then." Andre sighed.

"I've had two kids since I've gone through mine." He admitted. "I bet most of my shit has changed." His words sparked a thought in Teddy, something she'd hadn't considered before. She hadn't thought about the contributing factor toward fears and the stimuli that could push people to the brink. Of course people's psyches were ever changing and there were many factors that contributed to fears. Teddy wondered why she'd never contemplated that before.

"Meh," Mathias finished his chocolate cake. "I've been kept in a box for the past year. If anything, all I get to add is claustrophobia. How many did you have, Teddy?"

"Seven."

"Isn't that a record?" Andre asked, slightly shocked.

"Well, they don't call him Four for nothin'." Mathias commented. "Looks like we already have our new fearless leader!" He thumped Teddy on her back and her body reacted more than she would have liked, nearly choking on her vegetables as the men laughed.

"Still have to get through this training." She mumbled, her neck a bit red from the attention. "The amount of fears doesn't quite contribute. I've still got a long ways to go."

"Smart princess." Eric could be heard at the head of the table. The remaining three looked up at the young man. "Hurry and finish, we're ready for your sims." The candidates quickly finished their last bites before scurrying after the youngest leader down some levels where the compound was considerably darker. The dripping sounding off of the cavern walls made it infinitely more eerie, but Teddy had long since gotten used to it. Though it bothered her eyesight at times, the air was cool and she found it all quite comforting.

She finished in thirteen minutes. Thinking about how fears can change and expand caused her some relief to find that none of her fears were different. Running through the maze, she'd found the door after concentrating on the subliminal message her conscious was telling her about this particular fear. She'd calmed her heart rate while being burned alive, and had then swam under the giant wave that threatened to swallow all of Chicago. Being attacked in the dark was always a different experience for her; she could either calm herself or fight back. This time, she did both. She paced her breathing and allowed her subconscious to feel around so she could fight her attacker with a practiced ease.

Her fifth fear was always strange. Teddy could never quite figure out if it was a memory or something her childhood mind had made up. It was of her waking up as a child in her old room. Everything was startlingly quiet. Teddy kept waiting for something to happen, for someone or something to come in and snatch her. But all was still. So she sat on her bed for what felt like hours before finally huffing as she stood up, only to find that she was chained to the bed. When she grasped and struggled, her door finally burst open on its own accord and she could witness her parents screaming at each other as well as other doctors.

"She's a child! You can't experiment on her!"

"Her results are inconclusive!"

"Her brain hasn't developed fully!"

"There's clearly something wrong!"

"She's not normal!"

"Enough!" She finally shouted, getting everyone's attention. She took a short breath and composed herself. "That's enough," her tone prim and proper. It was with that, that the door always shut and the chains were released and she was pushed into her next fear or being tied up and beaten. When she'd first started going through these sims, she'd initially tried to fight back. She'd struggle against the bonds, kicking where she could and throwing her body wildly at the faceless being who seemed hellbent on killing her. But that hadn't worked out. In the end, Teddy figured the best way to move on from the fear was to calm herself and allow it to fade away into the last one, where another faceless being was hurting her. This was the worst one, where she was still tied up, but her clothes were gone and the person was pressing himself into her over and over. The first time Teddy had gone through this sim, she'd been shaken up for days. Four had had to keep her in the room for a few minutes before she'd calmed down enough to stop shaking.

She'd never been raped before and she hadn't thought of it as a possibility until it was confirmed that it was her worst fear. She attested it to lack of control and her unease for intimate relationships, whether platonic or romantic. And the first few times she'd gone through the sim, she'd practically shut down. Four had told her that each time she'd gone through this particular one, it had lasted almost twenty minutes alone. Teddy hadn't seen a way out, even through keeping her heart rate at a steady pace, her mind was constantly on it. She'd finally seen the faceless person with a knife and with her training, she'd grasped the knife and plunged it into the man, therefore ending the simulation. Four had congratulated her thoroughly before having her go through all the simulations at once. And each time, her score got better and better.

"Thirteen minutes." Eric couldn't deny that he was impressed. Sure, he had her file and knew it to be true, but to see it for himself was different. His gaze found hers and he arched his pierced brow. His mouth opened to speak, but she beat him to it.

"How much you wanna bet I can do it under ten?" For the second time that day, his mouth curled into a smirk.

"You don't seem as shaken as the others." Eric noted later while they were in the gym. They'd done a warm-up with the punching bad and now, they were using the machines at different weight levels. Teddy was able to focus in on his tone and heard a poorly phrased compliment between the lines.

"I've done this quite recently." He nodded once in acknowledgment.

"They seem oddly specific." Teddy was trying to figure out why he was forcing this conversation. "And yet…"

"And yet they make no sense whatsoever." This time, he gave a shrug. "They're really just subliminal messages spouting out from my subconscious. Most of it is control. The maze, being tied up…" Her brows furrowed as she thought more about her fifth fear. "Attacked." She shrugged.

"Death by fire?"

"When I was a kid, I was visiting my father, who worked in the hospital." She began. "He had a patient come in with third degree burns from a chemical experiment gone wrong." She shrugged. "I can still remember the smell and it seemed like a nasty way to go." Her tone was dismissive and he almost chuckled at that.

"The wave?"

"Old dreams. You know how most people have the dream where they have to give a speech while naked?" Teddy swore she could have heard a low chuckle. "When I got stressed, my dream was a giant wave drowning the city."

"The one where you're a kid…" Teddy sighed.

"Does any of this matter?" She turned to face him. "I got through it in record time and I'm going to get better."

"It matters because if you're scared of being attacked, you're going to make a shitty leader, princess." Teddy sighed and gnawed at her lips, trying to keep her emotions in check. "This may not be Erudite, so we're not looking for a psych evaluation or the textbook response as to why you fear what you do, only that you deal with it and get over it."

"I told, you it's about control. I don't like not being in control." He nodded slowly.

"You've never been raped. You've never been attacked in the dark or kidnapped." He acknowledged. "But the fifth one, where you're a kid, that's a memory." He seemed so sure of himself.

"My parents never chained me to my bed. And I've never seen them fight. I don't know what that is." His grey eyes were practically dancing, as if he were seeing something she couldn't and it set her on edge.

"So you're not some experimental little freak?" His voice was laced with a bit of humor and it made Teddy chuckle.

"Not that I'm aware of. Same boring little Nose as the rest." His pierced brow arched at that and he slowly shook his head.

"You know, you may be smart, but you're not always right."

* * *

 **Hope everyone in the states had a lovely Thanksgiving and their families didn't give them too much grief. Hopefully the food made up for it if anything. To those who don't celebrate this (in my opinion) useless holiday, I hope your day was just as great. Let me know what you think! Review, message, I'm down with whatever :)**


	4. Chapter 3

The rest of the week continued as such. The other candidates were improving on their running and it seemed that Zoe was perfect with knives. It occurred to Teddy that the sisters ran with a large social group, playing everything off like a popularity contest. While the youngest candidate could see the determination between the sisters to be the next leaders, Teddy silently wondered if they'd be better suited for communications or management, with them being so good with people.

Andre was quiet and tactful, he'd be good with planning and make decisions for the faction while Mathias was good at reading between the lines and was doing surprisingly well with the tech programming.

"You know, I was surprised that my aptitude test was Dauntless." Mathias' mouth was full of food during dinner. "And then, I was just…better than everyone." Andre laughed. "Then I was surprised at being good at my job. And now I'm just as shocked as you all that I'm in this program." He took another bite of cake. "I think I surprised my instructors more than myself, though."

"You shouldn't underestimate yourself." Teddy told him. "You pick up on things quickly and apply them well. You're a good candidate. You'd have to be to be considered." There was a brief pause.

"I-did you just compliment me?"

"Never mind that," Andre stated. "She just strung together more than two sentences." Teddy rolled her eyes. Sure, it was widely known that she didn't talk much. In fact, she was certain she'd spoken more with Eric in this past week than with anyone during her entire initiation period. But that didn't mean she cared to be teased for it.

"Whatever." She mumbled, stabbing at her fruit. "I'm just saying, don't underestimate yourself, because no one else is going to."

"Oh! I think that was a threat, man!" Andre exclaimed. "Damn, Teddy, getting a bit feisty!"

"Hey, I just wanted to thank you for what you said earlier." Mathias had seen Teddy and Eric part ways after their time in the gym and had easily caught up to her with his long legs. "I mean, I know it wasn't a compliment or anything, but it kinda…woke me up."

"Uh…that's fine." Suffice it to say, Teddy was more than just a tad bit socially awkward.

"It's just that…my friends and family always joked that I'd never make it in another faction because I was so mouthy. I still am, I mean, here I am chatting your ear off." He gave her a genuine chuckle and something warm flooded Teddy's chest. "And I was absolutely terrified when my aptitude test told me that I was made for Dauntless. I'd never considered myself brave." They were standing inside an alcove over the Pit now. "And I don't think I even made the conscious decision to be brave even during initiation, I just kind of…did it. And I went through my fears like everyone else and…it was all good. I passed at number one, which, like I said, surprised everyone," there was another laugh. "And I got to work in the infirmary because I had first choice. And now here I am, hand-picked by Jonathon for the leadership training. I just…you were kind of wrong in that people don't underestimate me." Teddy cocked a brow. "They do. That's why I ranked first during initiation. But even after all that, I'm still underestimating myself and you-you saying that you wouldn't has made me realize for the first time that I have what it takes. So, thank you." His movement was quick, but before Teddy could react, Mathias' long arms were around her shoulders. Slowly, she reached up and patted the young man's shoulder before looking around awkwardly. Finally, he released her with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early. Goodnight, Teddy."

* * *

 **Sorry, no Eric in this chapter. But let me know what you think! What are your thoughts on Teddy?**


	5. Chapter 4

One afternoon, a few weeks after the candidates had finished their fear simulations, there was a meeting after lunch that had all the leaders and their chosen candidates observing the patrol squads in the control room. They were patrolling the Factionless sector and the candidates were taking notes on tactical training and making observations about what the cameras might be missing and how to set up said patrols.

"I don't see why this is necessary." Zoe commented, hip jutted out. "They're already doing a good job, why would we bother changing it around?" Before Teddy could stop herself, she rolled her eyes and her gaze met with Eric's, who to have the same bored expression as she.

"Because the squadrons are always changing." Andre stated simply. "Factionless are always on the move and we can't keep sending the same people out day in and day out without a break."

"Looks like we're down one tactical advisor." Teddy mumbled. She caught sight of Eric biting the inside of his cheek, as if to keep from smiling. Teddy knew Zoe had heard, she could feel her glare burning a hole through her. The youngest candidate kept her head straight and her expression neutral and could feel Eric inch toward her as the conversation went on.

"That wasn't very nice, princess." Eric muttered lowly in an almost teasing tone. Teddy chanced a look at him.

"I'm not a very nice person." Something flashed behind his grey eyes.

"No, you're not." He seemed quite pleased.

After the meeting, the leaders wanted to watch their candidates fight. It was Andre against Teddy and Mathias against Amy. Zoe would sit out for the afternoon and practice her form with the punching bags. Teddy observed as Amy and Mathias danced around each other for a while before Eric got bored.

"Stop playing with each other. Fight!" Mathias threw the first hit, aiming for Amy's neck, which she dodged, going for his legs. She twisted his knee, earning a groan, but he kicked out, his heel catching her nose. Blood spilled down Amy's face and Teddy felt her eyes widen as the red liquid steadily dripped down to the floor. Mathias threw another hit, earning blood from her mouth. Teddy had no idea as she watched that Eric's gaze was not on the fighting, but on her. He watched as her breathing became shallow and her hands fidgeted. She was swallowing hard as she watched the fighting with wide eyes. Eric had a feeling it wasn't out of worry.

Amy got a few good hits in, mostly aimed at Mathias' legs, which sent him down a few times. But he was a spry fellow and always managed to keep going until he sent Amy to the ground, straddling her with a knee at her neck. Jonathan praised both of their techniques and allowed them to get off the mat, giving room for Andre and Teddy. She bent her neck in quick succession, earning some impressive cracks before getting into position.

She surprised Andre by attacking first, feigning a punch before sending a kick to the gut. Andre managed to clench just in time, absorbing the hit before going for her shoulders. She danced out of the way, sending a fist to his right ear. He caught her wrist and spun her back around and sent a mean right hook to her face. Like Amy, she earned a bloody nose. Teddy managed to twist out of Andre's grasp before twisting and sending her heel to his face, blood splattering out of his mouth and onto the mat. Teddy felt her pulse quicken at the sight and lunged at Andre, twisting an arm behind his back as she tightened her knees around his waist. Her elbow went flying toward his face once, then twice, before he finally grabbed her ankle once more to bring her back around.

She somersaulted out of his grasp and as she went between his legs, grabbed both of his ankles, and sent him sprawling to his face. Teddy quickly slid up his torso and sent punch after punch before Max stopped her.

"Enough!" Teddy looked back at the leaders, who were all staring at her in awe with a mix of mild terror. All except Eric, whose pupils were blown wide, arms crossed and wearing a feral grin that she was sure he wasn't aware of. Teddy stood up and looked down at the unconscious man before walking off the mat, green eyes glancing at the bloodied mat for just a moment before leaning against the pillar and wiping at her bloody nose. She could feel a sore on the gums of her top teeth and spat out just a bit of blood.

"Damn, I don't want to be on her bad side." Zoe commented, earning a chuckle from some of the leaders.

"Where the fuck did you learn that?" LeeAnn asked.

"I saw Eric use it on Four once." Teddy's voice came out stuffy from the blood in her nose. Eric chuckled at her response, pride gleaming in his eyes now, the feral smirk gone.

"I wasn't nearly as graceful." Teddy sent him a smirk.

"No, you weren't."

* * *

 **What are your thoughts on the other initiates? And what do you think of the dynamic between Eric and Teddy?**


	6. Chapter 5

"Hey, we're going to the Pit to get our drink on." Mathias closed in on Teddy after she'd finished with weight training. She'd taken a shower in the gym showers, not caring for the communal showers down her hall. Her hair was still damp and starting to wave when Mathias had approached her.

"Who's 'we'?"

"Well, everyone. Except Eric, probably." Mathias made a face that told Teddy he was slightly scared of the youngest leader. "The other leaders, me, Andre…the girls, too. Thought you'd like to join us."

"I don't go out much." In truth, she'd never gone out drinking, even during initiation. She'd always celebrated her successes with ink or a new piercing, to prove that she belonged in Dauntless. The only time she'd consumed alcohol or anything of the sort was for her own research.

"Well, come out, now." Mathias gave her a big grin that lessened the tension in Teddy's stomach. "We're gonna have a good time and we have tomorrow morning off. Think of is as a little celebration."

"A celebration of what?" Mathias shrugged.

"Of whatever the hell we want it to be." It was completely irrational, but Teddy had never experienced this type of camaraderie before. It sent a pleasant tingle through her chest and she figured, why the hell not? So she agreed to come down for the evening and was only a little startled when Mathias linked his arm with hers and they headed toward the bar. Andre had already ordered shots of something clear for the group. Amy and Zoe were huddled together sharing a pitcher of something bright and Mathias ordered both Teddy and himself something fizzy.

"To new friends!" They all raised the shot glasses. The burning down Teddy's throat was familiar, tasting like something she'd once stolen from her parent's liquor cabinet for her research. The fizzy drink wasn't too sweet, but it settled nicely in her stomach.

Three more drinks in and Teddy couldn't feel her face. Amy had given her a drink of whatever had been in that pitcher before Max and Shauna had joined them and she'd nearly spat out the pint of amber liquid the older man bought her. That had earned quite a bit of laughter from the group.

"It seems Teddy's got a thing for sweet things." She'd frowned at the way Max had phrased it, but had agreed that sweet drinks seemed to agree with her palette. So Andre had gotten her a fruity drink and she'd drunkenly thrown the umbrella at him with such precision, the toothpick had stuck in his shirt pocket and even Max had been quite impressed with that. Shauna had taken the cherry from Teddy's drink and astonished the crowd by twisting the stem with her tongue.

And then it was her turn to buy the drinks. She settled herself at the bar, easily remembering what everyone wanted, she just had to wait for the bartender. There were a few people ahead of her and it seemed to be a busy night. Some people were dancing, others were making out in random corners. Others were just talking and laughing. All in all, it seemed to be a cheery, relaxed atmosphere that had Teddy at ease for once. Her mind and body was at total ease, and she relished the fuzzy response her entire being had due to the alcohol. She was Dauntless now, not Erudite. There was no need to write down her findings, just a need to actually enjoy herself.

"Rum and coke!" A man twice her size eased beside her. She looked up at him, agitated, which caught his attention. "Make that two! Sorry, little lady, didn't see you there." He leaned against the counter. "Gotta make more noise next time."

"I can be loud." She realized too late how that must have sounded. It only made him smirk.

"I bet you can." Teddy pursed her lips and stared straight ahead. "I'm Ian."

"Teddy." She didn't shake his hand.

"Please tell me your last name is 'Bear'." He chuckled.

"It's 'Bitch', actually." That got a bark of laughter. The alcohol was causing words to come out before she even had time to process them. When the bartender placed the two drinks in front of Ian, he passed one to her. She eyed it suspiciously.

"I didn't do anything to it, promise." He held up his hands innocently. She slowly sipped the fizzy drink, finding it to be her favorite of the night. Then she gave the orders to the bartender and finished her drink while she waited. "Thought you'd like it. Hard to go wrong with a classic."

"Yes, um…thank you." He was still wearing an infuriating smirk.

"You gonna dance with me now?"

"No."

"Gotta work a bit harder, then." He laughed again as she walked off with the tray of drinks, eyes rolling at his words. Everyone at her table cheered when they saw her. She passed the right drinks off to everyone and sat back down, only to be joined by Ian.

"Oh, looks like Teddy made a friend." Andre snickered. Teddy exhaled sharply through her nose and turned toward Ian.

"What do you want?"

"Just a dance, princess." Ian taunted. "I did buy you a drink." Teddy rolled her eyes and her group all cocked eyebrows, figuring Teddy could handle herself after pummeling Andre just hours before.

"Oh, go on, Teddy!" Mathias exclaimed. "Have a bit of fun." Teddy sighed before downing her drink and pushed off the man who was practically on her lap. They all cheered and Ian was still wearing his smirk.

"If you ever call me 'princess' again, I'll punch you." She warned, for some reason, she preferred Eric's condescending tone when he called her that. The way this man said it made her want to cringe. But he just sent her a dazzling smile.

"I can call you my queen if you prefer." She only rolled her eyes and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor, where people were gyrating against each other. Teddy had never danced like that and so it came as no surprise when Ian twirled her in closer to him so he could lead; her torso was flush against his. He stood more than a head taller than she, so it was a stretch when he maneuvered her arms around his neck. He twisted their hips to and fro and kept tightening his grip on her. Even with the alcohol raging through her, she felt utterly uncomfortable and entirely out of place. She couldn't wait for the song to end so she could race back to her table. Better yet, she might decide to head back to her quarters. She'd had enough interaction with society for one night.

But the song was everlasting as the bass thumped through the floor and through Teddy's body. As the song transitioned with no break in between, Ian twisted her around so her back was against his torso. His arms were still around her waist and his face buried in her neck. He was grinding up against her and slowly, she felt his hands slip up, grasping at her breasts. She gasped loudly and pushed him away only to find that he'd managed to slowly move them into a small alcove aside from the Pit. No one was paying them any attention and he kept her close, despite her struggling.

"Get off." She hissed out. He loomed over her, his arms easily enveloping her. Teddy caught whiff of the strong alcohol on his breath and his mouth moved against her neck. She pushed him again, but he held her close. One of his hands trailed down her pants and she tensed. "Get off!"

"Come on, princess, I bought you a drink." He mumbled lazily against her skin.

"Get off!" This time, her arms got free and she slapped him.

"Oh, kinky." He grabbed her shoulders and shoved her against the wall so hard, her breath left her. Without warning, one of his huge hands was wrapped around her throat and the other was back down her pants. She quickly kicked him in the groin and he kneeled into himself. In another second, Teddy whipped around to leave, only to have her long hair pulled back and his hand was around her throat once more, squeezing hard. Then she was back against the wall, her head hitting it so hard that she began to see black spots clouding her vision. "You like this, princess?" Blindly, Teddy managed to throw a punch to the man's throat and he was off her. Not thinking to run, the young woman gasped for breath as her vision came back and she saw Ian being slammed against the wall so hard the whole nook shook.

"You like _this_ , fuckface?" A familiar voice snarled. With three hard punches, Ian was out cold, hanging limply against Eric's grasp. But the leader didn't stop there; he kept throwing his fist in Ian's face, blood splattering on both Teddy and Eric. And it occurred to Teddy that he wouldn't stop unless she said something.

"Eric." She placed a small hand on his broad shoulder and got his attention. "He's not worth it." His jaw was clenched so tight, she wondered if his teeth would shatter. But his breathing was strangely even as he peered down at her with soft eyes and the hand that was covered in blood ran down her throat, sending a stream of red down her skin.

"Come on." It was with a gentle tug that he urged her out of the Pit, where some people had stopped to stare. Mathias was gawking at Teddy and Eric as they headed out. Max and Andre were smirking into their pints. Shauna, Amy and Zoe looked aghast at what had just happened.

The walk to Eric's apartment was silent, almost dangerously so. His grip on her was gentle, completely opposite to his now-harsh breathing and the tick going off in his jaw every so often. His eyebrows were furrowed angrily and he wildly scanned a keycard to a small box outside the door. It beeped green and he opened the door, guiding Teddy inside, his touch still kind. It struck Teddy just how controlled he really was. It made her wonder what else he kept tucked hidden away from the rest of the world. He sat her down on one of the barstools before taking a wet cloth to her face and neck. Their gazes locked for a moment before Teddy looked down at his shoes. Once again, his hand was gentle as he gripped her chin, forcing her to look back up. The blood had splattered over the side of her face and his touch was almost tender as he wiped it away.

Her hair stuck to her neck as he pushed it back. There was more blood dripping down from the back of her head. Teddy winced as his hand found the bump from when Ian had shoved her against the wall. Eric wet the cloth once more before returning to cleaning her up.

"You handled yourself well." He told her gruffly.

"Not well enough." She muttered. "Still needed someone to step in."

"You're still training." He returned. "And you're drunk." She felt her neck run pink and she was sure Eric could feel the heat of her blush under his ministrations.

"So was he."

"Which is why he shouldn't have been anywhere near you." His voice was a deep growl and it sent shivers down Teddy's spine. "He shouldn't have been anywhere near you, period." The tension was back in his jaw and his gaze set her skin on fire.

"He-he bought me a drink." It was the first thing that came to her drunken mind, and it was running off her tongue before she could stop it.

"Oh, so that makes it ok, then?" He challenged with an arched brow. "Is that all it takes to seduce you, _princess_? One fucking drink?" His tone was dangerous now and his grip on her hair tightened with each word. She winced as he tugged closer to her scalp, irritating the bump on her head. When he finally pulled his hand away, there was fresh blood. Adding that to the splattered blood on his face and other hand, along with the wild look in his eyes, he looked like a man possessed. But it wasn't his expression that shocked Teddy, but rather, the heat pooling in her stomach.

Eric walked over to the sink where he quickly washed his hands and Teddy saw that his knuckles had split from hitting Ian so hard. "I didn't see you gallivanting off with Andre or Mathias." She was slightly surprised to see that he'd bothered learning their names.

"I-I wasn't…gallivanting." Teddy quietly protested. His sharp gaze turned back toward her. "They-they encouraged me to have-to have a bit of fun."

"And did you have fun?" Teddy felt like a child being reprimanded by a parent. She shook her head. "No, I thought not."

"I've just…I've never done that. They think I don't know _how_ to have fun." Eric was back in front of her with some type of ointment. He rubbed it along his knuckles before tilting her neck to the side. Her skin tingled on contact and she had to wonder if it was from his fingers or the ointment.

"That's because their idea of fun is different than ours." Teddy furrowed her brows at that, but didn't say anything. His fingers were moving slowly over her bruised throat and Teddy felt like she might combust. "So, what? You've never had a drink before? Never been with a man?" Her breath caught at the same time their eyes met. His tone held a hint of malice, but there was also a tinge of teasing and Teddy felt the need to explain.

"No, no, I mean I-I-I've never gone drinking in-in the Pit. I-I wanted to see what it was like." His fingers left her throat and suddenly, he was behind her, hands deftly combing through her hair to find the bump. He rubbed more ointment there, his fingers just as soft as when they'd been at her throat.

"Well, it looks like your experiment failed." He whispered into her ear. She felt gooseflesh rise up along her shoulder and she couldn't help the shiver she felt at his deep baritone. "How…disappointing."

"Hopefully it won't affect ongoing research." Her voice was higher than she wanted and she hadn't even meant to say anything, but the alcohol was still affecting her filter. Eric looked like he so desperately wanted to ask what she meant, but he kept his mouth shut.

"I'm sure it won't." His hands were off her now and she realized she was cold. Her body, though certainly not relaxed, was aching and tired. She looked up to see Eric still peering down at her, blood drying on his face. Against her better judgment, she reached up and pressed her palm to his cheek. She felt his jaw clench at the contact and his eyes widened only a fraction, but he didn't move to stop her. Her brows furrowed as her thumb wiped at the blood before she brought her hand back down, her fingers playing with the sticky liquid. "He won't bother you anymore."

"But why?" He swallowed before responding.

"Because you're not his."

* * *

 **As always, review and let me know what you think.**

 **And to the Guest who reviewed about Teddy's character, what about her seems abnormal to you?**


	7. Chapter 6

The next afternoon, it wasn't a hangover that ailed Teddy, but the bump on her head and a swollen neck. Everyone kept eyeing the bruises along her throat, but no one made to say anything as Jonathan taught them a combination of martial arts and proceeded to have the candidates practice with each other. As there was an odd amount, someone always practiced with a leader. Usually it was Teddy or Mathias, as the sisters always stuck close to each other. But it seemed like luck was not on their side today. It seemed Eric was finally fed up with Amy and Zoe always fighting with each other.

"You're not going to learn anything if you spar with the same partner." His rich voice rang out. "Amy, you're with me today. Zoe, join Andre." The girls looked scared stiff at the thought of sparring with someone other than each other and Teddy wondered how they'd managed to rank first during initiation. Or maybe it had been so long that they'd forgotten what it was like.

"Teddy?" Mathias got her attention. "You ok?" Her gaze was taken away from Eric and his partner and refocused on her friend. They got into position and began sparring, using the forms as taught by Jonathan earlier.

"Don't be a fucking princess about it." She could hear Eric jeer Amy. Something tightened in Teddy's chest when he called her that. As much as she hated him calling her that, that was _her_ nickname.

"Jesus, Teddy, I'm not actually attacking you, we're not in the ring." Mathias barely caught her heavy foot aiming for his chest.

"Sorry." She huffed. "Force of habit." She barely caught Eric's stare and could have sworn a smirk was forming. Why was he bothering her so much? He was just her mentor. But her gaze caught on to Eric blocking Amy's attack, forcing her arm behind her back and one of his hands wrapped around her throat, bringing her in close in what almost looked like an intimate gesture. Once again, he caught Teddy's gaze and she seemed concerned, not for the sparring pair but for something internal. It got Eric smirking once again.

"Ow!" Mathias cried out when Teddy grasped at his calf and twisted. "Christ, Teddy, what's eating you today?

"The fact that no one's eating her." Andre winked, sending Mathias howling with laughter. Teddy didn't quite understand. Even Zoe was laughing.

"Why would I want someone to eat me?" She didn't quite grasp the connotation. Her question got the leaders chuckling.

"Innocent little princess." Eric and Amy had finished their grappling. "I'm sure someone out there wants to eat you up." Then he made the crude gesture of darting his tongue between two spread fingers, which revealed a tongue piercing Teddy had never seen before and she felt her neck grow hot and the tightening in her chest intensified, only this time, she knew what was bubbling just under the surface, humiliation and rage. But she kept her composure as they moved on to different guns. And for the first time, she used the clichéd reasoning of imagining someone's face as the target.

After weight training a few days later, Eric wanted Teddy to spar with him. It was obvious to him that she picked up on the different styles of fighting fairly quickly and with her new strength, he wanted to see what she was capable of. As they both moved in a dance of martial arts and kickboxing, they were sure to pull their punches, not aiming to hurt.

Teddy was able to hold her own against the youngest Dauntless leader, which caught Eric by surprise, much to her delight. But what had her seething was that he didn't seem to find this difficult at all. In fact, he was barely breaking a sweat, mostly dodging her as though swatting away a bothersome fly. She got a few hits in, keeping a reign on the force as much as he was, but she wanted nothing more than to deck him in the face, still agitated over his comment the previous day.

Instead of letting her anger and frustrations hinder her, she kept calm, her face a blank mask, continuing to dance around Eric, gracefully dodging, swiping and maneuvering around each other, using the moves the candidates had learned throughout the past few weeks. The whole training room was their stage and while Teddy was quick on her feet, Eric was quicker.

Finally, he had her facedown, the force from landing on her belly leaving her breathless. He straddled her hips, a firm grip on one of her ankles and her opposite wrist. He pulled tightly, causing her to arch her back.

"Stop thinking so much." He leaned down, muttering in her ear. He sounded breathless and that excited Teddy in more ways than one. "You know what you're doing, so just do it." She could feel his grip loosen and, still angled awkwardly, she used her grasped foot to kick in at just the right angle. The kick in the head sent him sprawling with a grunt and she twisted her arm out of his grasp. When she rotated around on the floor, his face was contorted into a snarl, aggravated at the mistake he'd made of sitting on her hips and not her thighs.

She was sure not to make the same mistake twice, instead of aiming her legs for his waist, she used his broad shoulders as leverage, whirled around and wrapped her thighs around his neck. She saw his hands move before they actually did, and so she caught them before he could fling her off and crossed them behind his neck. But then she was falling and she realized that it was his intention to collapse on top of her. As he fell to his knees, she twisted them around so as not to hit her back and have the breath leave her. Eric hadn't anticipated that and he fell onto his own back with a grunt, Teddy's legs still wrapped around his neck. They were both panting heavily now and after a few moments, Eric smirked up at her.

"Do you like this position, princess?" His voice was all but a purr and Teddy couldn't help her dry swallow. Before she could do anything, she was pinned under him. This time, her breath did leave her and she arched into him as she tried to regain air. In that swift movement, he'd gotten her arms above her head and the bend of her knee was held firmly against her chest in an elbow lock. His legs were straddling her other leg and his hips were digging into hers. "I like this position better." He growled into her ear, sending gooseflesh down her back. He ground his hips against hers forcefully and with a sharp inhale through her nose, the breath was back in her body. Eric's smirk was back due to her reaction and when their eyes met, Teddy was sure he could see straight through her. His pupils were dilated, but within their close proximity, Teddy could see specks of blue here and there.

The ache in between her legs was almost unbearable now. His thigh was at just the right angle, nudging at her core with each breath he took. But she didn't dare give him a reaction. The room was very still until Teddy rolled her hips against his, squirming to get out of his grasp, her gaze never leaving his. His growl at her movements resonated within her and he ground down against her again, her breath hitching before she could stop it. And then Eric released her with a sigh.

"All right." His tone seemed pleased, even if his expression betrayed no emotion. "We're done for tonight." With lithe movements, Eric threw his vest back on and strode out of the training room, Teddy just barely getting to her feet.

Isolated in the gym showers later on, Teddy came fiercely against her fingers.


	8. Chapter 7

A week later saw Teddy in Amity, having joined Eric for a meeting. Max and Andre were there as well. Johanna, as well as the other Amity representatives, was trying to explain that there were too many Dauntless guards along the fence and patrolling too close to the fields, it made the farmers uneasy and made it difficult to carry out their work. Everyone watched as Max tried his best to keep the peace, insisting that with the growing Factionless, they had every reason to worry and be on guard, that the Dauntless soldiers were there for the protection of Amity and that it was in everyone's best interest to keep the guards in position. Johanna didn't particularly agree, but after a three-hour session, it was finally agreed that the patrols would change but the guards would remain the same.

The sun had set when they finally broke free of the meeting and everyone was on edge, feeling their hunger set in. The Dauntless members had been invited to stay for dinner and while they were eager to get home, there was still a hour-long drive ahead of them. Food would be much appreciated.

Autumn was coming to a close and Teddy could feel the winter winds setting a chill about the city. The Dauntless guests had been graced to sit by the fire along with the other Amity members. Some were singing, others were laughing as they ate and mingled with their faction. The four people in black sat in stark contrast to the merry members of Amity. They sat quietly, picking at their food, glaring at anyone who glanced in their direction.

"Still mad at me, princess?" Eric mumbled.

"Why would I be mad at you?" His grey eyes bore into hers before settling back down at his half-eaten food.

"Eat your food, we're still doing weights tonight." Teddy nodded absentmindedly as she finished her dinner. When she finished and placed her tray in a large bin, she felt a sudden lethargy seep through her. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she wondered if she'd eaten too much. The Amity man who'd taken her plate looked at her quite expectantly. He seemed worried that she might yell at him and furrowed his brows when she did not. She glanced at him and then back at the campfire, where her people were sitting.

"Your campfire is very nice." Her words came out slowly and she let out a yawn. His countenance brightened considerably as he thanked her. "It's warm."

"Are you not fond of the cold?" Teddy shook her head miserably.

"But when it's too hot, I get cranky." She had leaned in conspiratorially.

"You know, sometimes we must put up with the bad to appreciate the good." He chanced extending his hand and Teddy looked at it for a long moment before clutching it.

"You are so wise." She gave him a sad smile. "So wise." Just then, her stomach growled. "Oh, dear, I'm never this hungry. Hush, you." She pointed to her belly and the man laughed.

"Would you like some more?" He handed her a large slice of pita bread with hummus slathered over it. She'd been particularly fond of it at dinner, and so she took it gratefully. She rolled it up and began taking bites of it as she walked back toward the fire, where people were dancing around it now. Eric looked up at her as she approached and she sent a goofy smile his way, her mouth full of bread.

"How much of that have you eaten?" His words caught the attention of Max and Andre. Their eyes widened when they saw what was in her hand.

"Hmmph, a lot. Want some?" Her words came out muffled and the dark-skinned men were trying to contain their laughter as she offered the bread to them all. Eric huffed before shaking his head, looking back at the man who'd served them.

"Did he give you that?" Eric pointed back, now irritated.

"He's so nice! So wise. You be nice to him." She commanded, rendering him speechless. The other men couldn't help their sniggering, to which Eric sent a sharp glare.

"Give me that!" He made to grab the bread, but she easily dodged his grasp.

"No! Get your own!" They were making a slight commotion and some of the Amity members had stopped to stare as Teddy ran around the campfire, hiding behind some members, who eagerly joined in on what they thought was a game. People were laughing as Teddy maneuvered her way through the crowd and Eric kept bumbling into people who got in his way.

"Go, Teddy!" Andre exclaimed. Teddy sent him a dazzling grin before finishing her bread, totally forgetting the reason she was running around the bonfire with children laughing as loudly as she was now. Eric tried to ignore the tightening in his chest at the grins she kept throwing back at him, but to no avail. Then she was in front of a wooden fence and as she turned around, Eric blocking her. She tried to feign left, but he was expecting her.

"Got nowhere to run now." He taunted her, lips twisted into a half-grin. "Why don't you give up and come to daddy?" He gestured toward himself.

"Dauntless never give up." It took Teddy a moment, but she used her small stature to her advantage as she ran toward him, only to slide underneath his legs, grabbing onto his ankles, sending him to the leafy ground. "You're kidding yourself if you think I'll ever call you 'daddy'." Teddy teased him. "Now, 'sir', on the other hand," she found herself smirking. "You'll have to earn that one." She didn't miss his grey eyes darkening at her words before she darted back toward the fire as her stomach grumbled again. "So much running."

"Thought you'd like this." The Amity man handed her a sweet roll this time, presumably from the dessert table. She gobbled it down in just a couple of bites, another wash of giddiness spreading through her body. It gave Eric ample enough time to catch her, quickly throwing her over his shoulder as she shrieked before he gestured toward Andre and Max, who were still laughing.

"Let's go." He hated Amity.

"Hey, Eric?" Her voice was still light. He only grunted in response as they headed back to the truck. "Has anyone ever told you you've got a great ass?" And with that, Max and Andre broke into hysterics.

"Don't get too excited, princess," Eric responded. "Flattery won't get you out of weight training."

"Dammit."

True to his word, Teddy found herself in weight training almost as soon as they got back to the Dauntless compound. Eric was working her harder than usual, hoping to get the peace serum out of her system. Her body wasn't used to it and so she was reacting to it a bit more than what he'd seen before. Her cheeks were a pretty pink that had nothing to do with the flush of the workout and her body seemed more relaxed than he'd ever seen.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked after their cool-down run around the gym. "You shouldn't be. You're the one who told me to eat my food." She was trying to catch her breath and there was no hesitation as she leaned against him.

"I didn't mean the bread." Eric snapped. "Everyone knows you don't eat the bread in Amity." Teddy merely shrugged.

"I didn't. I've never been to Amity. My mom has, though. She grew up there." She frowned at the recollection. "Did you know they've been trying to put the peace serum into a tablet form? It's for people with depression."

"I thought they eradicated that disease."

"Mm, kind of. Some people still have the genetic disposition for it. Like my mom. She used to get the peace serum sent to the house because after she had me, she got sad a lot." She frowned again. "My dad used to bring home sunflowers everyday. He'd put them in a vase on her work desk and it always made her smile." Teddy could feel the giddiness washing away and she frowned at the cold feeling tightening around her chest. It was something she was all-too familiar with and she'd been glad to be rid of it for a while.

"Is that what the tattoo is for?" Eric wondered, taking her hand away from scratching at the ink on her skin. Teddy nodded slowly.

"Sentiment." She mumbled, tingles being sent up her spine as Eric traced the outline of the sunflower.

* * *

The comedown from peace serum was not fun, especially with how much Teddy had had. She slept through her alarm, missing the morning run. And when she finally showed up at the gym, Eric was not happy with her. He spent a good five minutes just yelling at her and he made her spar with him that day and was not kind to her. It seemed that it was without remorse that he left bruises and kept her locked in a chokehold until she tapped out. And if she tapped out, he'd berate her for giving up.

"I thought you were better than this. Or is this a fucking game to you?"

"No."

"No, what?" Teddy's jaw clenched.

"No, sir. I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again, sir." She stared straight ahead, not daring to meet his gaze, ice surrounded her heart and she found that she hated being talked to like this by someone she, dare she say it? Had grown fond of. She knew this was more than just her waking up late, she knew it had more to do with the scene she'd made last night in Amity. Sure, she wasn't in her right mind, but she should have had more control.

Eric wasn't there after dinner for weight training. There weren't any meetings scheduled either, so Teddy spent half an hour on weights before heading to the parlor for another piercing. The swollen skin helped ease her mind from the dull ache in her chest that she was unfamiliar with. She couldn't figure out why Eric was so angry with her, she was certain that someone had eaten the bread before. But more than that, she wondered why it bothered her so much that he was treating her like any other initiate. Surely she'd proved that she was one of the best? Surely she was continuing to prove to Eric and the other leaders of her worth. Or perhaps everything was just a game to the youngest leader, and she was just another one of his playthings and he just wanted a reaction.

"Whoa, are you sure you wanna be doing that?" Mathias was worried as she downed a shot of amber liquid. It was just the candidates, minus Andre, as he was on 'dad duty' for the evening. His wife missed him and he wanted family time. Amy and Zoe had brought all the alcohol and were busy mixing drinks.

"I'm fine." Teddy responded. "We should go dancing."

"That didn't end well for you last time." Zoe pointed out.

"I wasn't prepared." The alcohol was definitely turning into an upper for her comedown, her body wasn't so lethargic anymore. Although, it wasn't just the alcohol or the peace serum from the previous night; being surrounded by such extroverts all the time seemed to be good for her. "I know what to expect now." The sisters exchanged devious glances.

"I'm scared." Mathias admitted.

"I'm gonna do you up." Amy told Teddy. "Then we'll go out."

* * *

 **Again, don't forget to review. Let me know what you think! What are some ideas you have for the upcoming chapters and what can I do better? I'm always looking for ways to improve. Much love to you all!**


	9. Chapter 8

An hour later saw Teddy in a silky black cardigan, with a bandeau and leather leggings underneath. She and Amy were similar in size, so it was all about mixing and matching. Amy had also lent her a pair of heeled booties and had done her hair and makeup. Mathias' jaw dropped when she walked back into the room. Teddy's long hair had been wildly curled, with smoky shadow and gold liner that illuminated her green eyes. Her lashes were longer than usual and her sharp cheekbones were highlighted with something shimmery. There was a pretty plum color on her lips and the piercings in her ear sparkled under the light.

"Damn." Was all Mathias could say.

"It's not too much, is it?"

"It's exactly what you need." Zoe stated. "Now, let's go make Eric cry for yelling at you." Mathias could have sworn that he saw a flicker of pink make its way up Teddy's neck.

An hour after they'd arrived, the group was well drunk. Teddy was even tapping her foot to the beat as she sipped her brightly colored drink. Zoe was dancing with her boyfriend and Mathias was chatting up a girl. Amy was keeping an eye out for someone Teddy could canoodle with. And it didn't take long before Amy had found a decent guy for the younger girl to dance with. She had donned a new persona all in the name of research. Tonight, she would not be taken by surprise.

But Eric didn't seem to follow her agenda. Unbeknownst to Teddy, he'd shown up to the Pit half an hour before she had. He'd watched with a steely gaze as she entered with the other candidates. He'd swallowed hard at her made up appearance, jaw clenching at her displayed skin. He could tell her attitude was different tonight, it wasn't just the remaining peace serum or the alcohol she'd already consumed, it wasn't even the new look one of her friends had given her. Her eyes scanned the area, as though conducting some type of experiment.

And after an hour of drinking and searching, it seemed she was finally ready to test out some sort of hypothesis. Eric watched her for a while longer, seeing just how far she was going to go with this boy. He towered above her, as most males did here in Dauntless. He was a bit scrawny and Eric almost felt bad for him.

Almost

He knew Teddy was still inexperienced in this way of life, she'd only been at Dauntless for roughly seven months now. But tonight, it seemed she'd come fully prepared for what this faction had to offer. She looked brave as her hips swayed to the beat and Eric felt his mouth run dry as her displayed abs swiveled with each movement, his hands itching to run through her thick curls.

When their eyes met, he smirked when hers widened at his presence. But then he saw the determination set in and her jaw clenched before she relaxed further into her dance partner, her eyes never straying from his. Eric lifted a brow and gave her a little smile that told her he was humoring her and her little game for now. He could be patient, he would let his candidate have her fun and then he'd remind her who was in charge.

His patience ended when she pulled the boy closer to her level and he began kissing her neck; that pale skin where the bruises had finally just vanished and Eric knew her skin was softest. The boy's large hands grasped Teddy's narrow waist and Eric had had enough. In one swift movement, he was off the barstool and it seemed that people were clearing a pathway for him. It was with ease that Eric's bulking arm swiftly careened the boy away from Teddy, pressing him against the wall with his forearm.

"Eric!" God, even when she was angry, her voice seemed to soothe him.

"I suggest if you'd like to keep your favorite appendage, you'll stay away from my girl." He hissed so lowly that only the boy could hear him. "Is that understood?" He nodded quickly and Eric released him, sending him running out of the Pit. He turned around just in time to see Teddy's fist coming his way. He wasn't quick enough to stop her and if it had been someone else's face she was smashing in, he might have been proud.

Teddy rushed out of the Pit as soon as her fist met Eric's nose. It seemed that once again, everyone was staring at her and she had no desire to be there anymore. All she had wanted was a distraction from the flutter of thoughts that the program was giving her. Or rather, the whiplash that Eric was giving her. One minute, he was tender, if a bit gruff, the next, earnestly listening to her ramble about something, then he was yelling at her and making an example of her, then he was staring at her in such a way that sent an ache between her thighs and she didn't know how much longer she could take it. She was being pulled in every direction but the one she wanted…and she didn't even know if that's what he wanted.

"Oh, no, you don't, princess." Without warning, Eric had caught up to her and yanked her into an alcove. She gasped at the grasp he had around her bare midriff, but it was quickly replaced with a smirk at the blood pouring from his nose. "Don't get your hopes up, it's not broken." He snarled, wiping it away on his sleeve.

"I can change that." She made to get into position, but he grabbed her wrists and held her down. "Let me go," she scrambled to get out of his grasp but he held firm.

"Not until you get it through your thick head." There he was, doing that thing again, speaking with that low rumble in his chest that set Teddy's skin alight with gooseflesh, with his nose grazing her neck with his barely-there stubble itching her sensitive skin. He knew exactly what he was doing to her and it made her want to hit him even more. He was so close to her, her chest grazing his with her deep breaths. The scent of him doused her senses, he smelled of smoke and cologne and something else that made her slightly dizzy. "They don't get to touch you."

"And why not?" His heavy breathing was warm on her skin.

"Because you're not theirs." Teddy swallowed heavily at that. "You don't belong to them." And it was like a light bulb went off in her head.

"And just who do I belong to?" She tried to keep her breathing steady. She knew what his reply would be, she just wondered if he'd actually say it, if he'd admit it to her. His hands had left her wrists and were now back at her waist, his thumbs grazing at the sensitive skin just underneath her bandeau. He exhaled sharply through her nose at her question, as if he didn't want to answer. "You know, I'm beginning to think you're all bark and no bite." Her tone was hard and snarky and she was rewarded with a firm bite at the juncture where her neck met her shoulder. She gasped loudly and when Eric began sucking on the stinging skin, her hand immediately went to grasp his hair. The ball of his tongue piercing sent shivers down her spine.

"How's that for no bite?" He growled after a few moments. He seemed pleased with himself and Teddy knew there'd be a mark. "Now they better fucking know that you're mine." His admission sent shivers down her spine. "You belong to me."

"And if I say no?" She hated how breathy her voice sounded. And Eric met her gaze when she said that, eyes dark and hungry and angry.

"Don't." He warned her, about to bite the other side of her neck. She quickly stopped him, grasping his sharp jaw in one hand and bringing him back to face her. He seemed surprised by her actions.

"And if I say no?" Teddy knew that Eric was used to getting what he wanted. His motivation and drive had been incredibly attractive to her, even during initiation. And her primal instincts couldn't deny that he was handsome, even with his formidable persona and cruel demeanor. She also admired him in the natural way she would a teacher, she was learning a lot under his tutelage, which made sure she was never bored. But when it came to this, this physical aspect, she wasn't going to give in to him simply for research, or because she was horny, or even because she expected some type of loving relationship. She wanted him because somehow…he knew exactly who she was. And she saw him. And despite the whiplash he gave her, somehow, she could finally relax around him, because when he looked at her, there was no hiding. And it was the most liberating thing she'd ever experienced.

"If you say no, then I walk away." He promised. "And you'll never have to see me outside the program." He seemed sincere and Teddy could feel her heart beating wildly.

"And if I say yes?" He glanced down at her mouth then back up to her wide gaze.

"Then I'm going to have a hard time not taking you right here." His face was so close to hers, all she had to do was lean up and meet his lips. But her eyelids fluttered shut as his forehead rested against hers, their noses barely touching. Teddy found her hands cradling his jaw and his hands tightened around her waist.

"Well, then you'd better get me to bed quick." He easily picked her up and wrapped her legs around him.

"Princess, there'll be nothing quick about this."

* * *

 **Your reviews always make my day! :) Don't be afraid to tell me what you think! Thank you, my dears!**


	10. Chapter 9

They reached his apartment in what seemed like record time, Eric easily holding on to Teddy as she clung to him like a toddler. Like the last time, Eric flashed a card at the small box and it beeped green, letting him inside his apartment. As soon as they reached the living room, he set Teddy down. He looked down at her and she peered up at him through dark lashes.

"Take off your clothes." He commanded. He languidly poured himself a glass of amber liquid and settled nicely on the leather sofa as he watched her. First came Teddy's shoes and then the cardigan. Then the leather leggings pooled at her ankles and she carefully stepped out of them, revealing a pair of lace red panties. "Do you always dress up, or is this a special occasion?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" His large gulp told her he liked her answer. Then she slipped her bandeau off and when his calculative expression didn't change, she inadvertently crossed her arms and looked down at her newly painted toes, her chest tightening over something so foreign to her. She felt vulnerable…and absolutely terrified that Eric wouldn't like what he saw.

"No, don't do that. Don't hide from me." She swallowed hard and rested her arms at her sides. At that, Eric finished his drink and he set the glass on the coffee table. He stood up and went before her, silently appraising her. "You're fucking perfect, don't you know that?" His hands were back at her waist, fingers leaving feather-like traces on her skin, and his hot mouth whispering at her neck. "Even with all that shit on your face." The lingering alcohol on his breath only added to his dizzying aroma.

"It-it makes me feel…pretty." She murmured, almost embarrassed that she allowed herself to be swayed by society's standards of beauty. He lifted his head back up, peering down at her with a soft expression that she couldn't read.

"Ok." He allowed. Suddenly, he was crouching before her, hands at her hips, bringing her forward, his nose and lips pressed against her pelvis, breathing in her scent. And then his fingers were playing with the waistband of her panties and he slowly slid them down her legs. When she stepped out of them, he looked back up at her to see him staring down at him, her chest heaving.

Slowly, he stood back up, his fingers leading the way up her smooth body, up her hips, up the curve of her spine, through the valley of her breasts, until they were back at her neck. And then they didn't move as he rested his forehead on her shoulder, as if he were trying to control himself. "I want you to touch yourself." He heard her swallow hard. "Now, now, princess, I know you've done it before. Did you think of me when you finally came?" Her breath hitched and he had to smirk. Before he could stop himself, he kissed her neck, loving how easily she tilted her head, practically submitting to him to give him easier access. One of his hands reached toward the base of her scalp and ran through the silky curls. "You can touch yourself, princess, I'm here now." He placed another kiss to her neck, this time his hand stayed at her nape, keeping her still. When he looked down, he watched as her right hand reached down, playing across her taut belly, reaching further still until she let out a soft sigh as she began playing with her slick folds. "Tell me, princess, how old were you when you first touched yourself?"

"Fi-fifteen." She breathed out.

"And were you pleasantly surprised by your own anatomy?"

"I was…curious." He chuckled.

"Didn't they tell you that curiosity killed the cat?" Her eyes met his and he was pleased to see them so dilated when they met his gaze.

"Good thing I'm not a cat, then." He went to suck on her neck, pleased at the moan she released.

"Hmm, maybe not." He conceded. "But I bet I can make you purr." Finally, his hands reached up to grasp at her breasts, only to have her hiss at the contact. He looked down to see what the issue was, only to see her nipples swelling against shimmering barbells. He'd seen them the moment she'd disrobed, glittering in the dim lights, and he'd been pleasantly surprised. "Are those new?" He growled out, finding that he liked them.

"I needed a-a distraction." She admitted.

"Aw, were you angry at me?" He saw the tick in her jaw and when she didn't answer, he bit into her neck and let his thumb roll over her sensitive nipple, which sent her shivering. "Were you mad that I yelled at you, princess?" His tone demanded an answer.

"You-you were right to do so." She gritted out. "I was out of sorts today, I deserved it."

"No." He disagreed, causing her brows furrowed slightly. "No, you deserved to be reprimanded for being late, that's all." He nibbled at her earlobe, his pierced tongue running up the shell of her ear and an audible sigh left her mouth. "But yelling at you, especially today," he pulled at her nipple again while kissing her shoulder. "God, it's all I can do to keep myself from fucking you in front of everyone." He reached down and took her hand, two fingers coated in her wetness, and brought them to his mouth. He looked at her so sensually as he sucked on her fingers and it sent shivers down her spine and she couldn't help her jaw from partially dropping. "But it's ok, princess, I'm going to make it up to you." He moved to stand behind her. His hands were placed at her shoulders and they slowly zig-zagged their way down, leaving gooseflesh in their wake. He caressed her jutted hipbones and the curve of her lower back until he was kneeling in front of her ass. He bit down without warning and she let out a soft shriek. "Bend over for me, princess." She looked unsure as she peered behind at him. "Do as I say, I told you I'd make it up to you." She bent down, using the coffee table as leverage. Eric nudged her legs further apart and slowly licked from her center all the way up, causing her thighs to tremble. "You're fucking drenched." He didn't expect a retort from her, especially once his mouth was sealed at her core. His arms were wrapped around her thighs, keeping her stable as he sucked and licked at her with an almost artistic practice.

"Fuck." She groaned out as her hips started bucking against his face. He stopped abruptly, smirked at her soft whining and stood up. He pulled her close, her back flush against his torso, with one hand at her throat, moving her so he could suck and nibble at her neck while his other hand replaced his mouth, languidly playing with the sensitive nub that sent her thighs trembling again.

"Tell me, princess, when you were back in Erudite, how many boys did you let touch you?" She choked out a response and he removed his fingers, causing her body to tense up. "How many?"

"Six." He replaced his fingers, slower this time, and he watched how one of her hands pulled at her newly pierced nipple and felt the other against his hand at her throat tighten.

"Looks like the princess isn't afraid to get a bit dirty." He purred against her throat.

"It-it was for research." She squirmed against his fingers, hoping for more pressure, but he wasn't going to let her have it just yet. "I…equated the factors of age, height, weight and miniscule personality traits to see…to see how-how enjoyable it would be." His fingers were still moving painfully slow. "And I-I attributed s-sobriety and-." She squirmed once more, but Eric held her still. "And then alcohol content and if-if emotions were…a factor." She bit her lip hard, hating the lack of control she had.

"Oh, I bet having those boys touch you was everything you ever wanted, wasn't it?" There was a cruel undertone to his voice and his fingers were suddenly hard on her clit, causing her to cry out.

"No-no-no-no-no!" She squirmed against him, but once again, he held her still.

"No? Do you need me to stop?" He removed his hand once more, earning a whimper.

"Don't stop." She gritted out, leaning back against his chest, her thick hair sending a wave of coconut and perfume across his senses. "Please, don't stop." If it was even possible, his fingers resumed even slower. "I know what you want to hear." Her voice was dry and she had to swallow several times before speaking again. "You want me to tell you that those boys were nothing. That they didn't know how to touch me, or how to please me like this, and that they couldn't get me to come for them. That they were experiments…How I wasn't theirs." As she spoke, his fingers began to move faster and faster until her last words were lost in moans.

"What I want to hear is you screaming my name. Now, come on, princess, I've got you," he murmured in her ear. As her hips bucked, her ass created friction against his member and it was almost painful how tight his pants were at this point. "I've got you, I've got you, now come for me." His bite on her neck sent her spiraling.

"Fuck! Eric!" Teddy finally cried out, her body stiffening against his. She would have sagged to the floor in pleasure had he not grasped her to him. He removed his fingers from her clit so he could taste her and he hummed in delight. Her thighs were still quivering as he moved away from her, coming round to face her. Her cheeks were flushed and there was a pink blush running up her chest that he found utterly adorable.

"You're fucking perfect, Teddy." Her eyes were still dilated with pleasure and lust and the way she looked up at him had him knowing he wouldn't last much longer. He had to have her now. He chucked off his boots and pulled off his shirt to see that Teddy had gotten much closer.

Her green eyes roamed the expanse of his chest and down his abdominals. It was as if she had no control of her hands as they moved along the divots of his muscles and seemed astonished at how they tightened under her touch. She didn't recognize her hands shaking over her hesitancy to touch him so gently. He was always so rough with her and she wanted to cling to him, and claw at the skin that was so surprisingly soft. But she was curious. She'd never seen a man like Eric before, he seemed to have been chiseled by the Gods themselves.

She did the same as he had, taking her time in observing him. When she walked behind him, outlining the curve of his waist, she slowly traced all his freckles together, as though they were constellations. Then she wrapped her arms around his waist; her fingers pulling at his belt buckle caught his immediate attention. She nimbly unzipped his pants and wasted no time in pulling them down, sending her hand down over the cloth of his briefs as he kicked out of his pants. The motion of her hand massaging him caused his breath to hitch and his hips to involuntarily buck. She felt him grow harder and had to admit, was already impressed with his girth. As his erection grew in one, his abs clenched under the delicate touches of her other hand. She wanted to make him come just as hard as she had, but it seemed he had other ideas as he pulled her back in front of him.

"I'm not going to last long if you keep doing that." Teddy took great delight in how breathless he was.

"Good."

"Cheeky little minx." He pulled her wrists and raised them over her head as he backed her over to a wall where he began sucking on her neck, finding a sweet spot just under her ear. Then he nibbled at her earlobe and peppered kisses along her jawline until he was at her mouth. Teddy didn't expect him to kiss her, feeling it would be far too intimate. But he surprised her when his thumb brushed her lower lip, pulling down on it just barely. And then his mouth was on hers. Her breath caught when his tongue came into the mix, and he devoured her like a man starved of the taste of her and she surprised him when she bit down on his lower lip and pulled. She'd never been kissed like that before; she'd no idea how delicious it could be. His dark gaze lingered on her for a long moment, his grey eyes now a blazing obsidian as he pulled her toward him, hands on her thighs as he lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. Her hands tangled into his hair as their mouths sealed together in a heated kiss. She could feel his erection at her thigh, and she rolled her hips against him, earning a guttural moan. She did it once, then twice, more and felt heat pool in her belly.

They made it to the bedroom just in time. Eric laid Teddy underneath him and took a step back, kneeling between her legs. She leaned up, resting on her forearms as he slipped out of his boxers and observed her, taking note of the bites along her neck and her swollen lips. Her curls were a tangled mess and the flush hadn't left her cheeks. And the way she eyed him created a fiery intensity to flood his stomach. When she reached for him, their mouths met again and her hand reached down to stroke him. He hissed at the contact and then flipped them both so she was on top. She stroked him for just few moments longer, her thumb teasing his weeping tip, before pushing herself up to her knees, guiding Eric's cock to her entrance and slowly sliding down.

"Eric." She hummed his name as she arched back, the tips of her long hair tickling Eric's bare thighs. Then she hunched forward, her nails running along his chest as her muscles contracted to his girth. His throat had gone dry at the feel of her and when she started rolling her hips so tauntingly slow, he thought he might die of pleasure. He reached up to tweak at her pierced nipples, but she slapped his hands away. "Don't touch." Her command sent him reeling and he bucked his hips up in to her and she abruptly stopped, canting her hips up to where he was barely inside of her, to which he released a grunt of displeasure. "Stop squirming." With that, he leaned back down, jaw clenched and eyes shut tight as she rode him. "No, none of that, look at me." She grasped his chin and forced him to meet her dark gaze. She kissed him hard as the pleasure continued to ripple through her body. He wanted to fist her hair again, but she seemed able to sense that. "No touching." She whispered once more.

"Fuck, princess!" He grunted out, clutching the sheets tightly as she rode him harder. He could tell by the way her eyebrows furrowed and lips parted that he had finally found her sweet spot. He wondered if she'd even known that existed.

"That's…not…my…name." She moaned out. Her thighs were clenched against his hips, her own hips jerking wildly as she arched forward, nails digging in to his shoulders. "Eric!" He knew what she wanted. So he quickly reversed their position again, pounding in to her over and over as she held him close, legs wrapped tight around his waist as she met him thrust for thrust and her nails clawed at his back as he sucked and bit at her nipples. Her soft shrieks filled the room every time he hit that sweet spot and he couldn't control his own moans as pleasure pooled in his belly.

"Say you're mine." He commanded.

"You're mine." She whimpered, tears of pleasure spilling down the side of her face.

"Say. You're. Mine." He grunted out with each thrust.

"Eric!" Pleasure overcame her as she cried out, she was positive there were stars dancing behind her eyes. "I'm yours! I'm yours! God, I'm fucking yours!" Her nails dug into his back as he bit down on her neck. Her words sent him into a spiral of his own pleasure and their hips slowed as their orgasms faded down. The smell of sex and sweat permeated the air as they caught their breath.

And then Eric was massaging her thighs, as they were still taut around his waist, the heels of her feet digging almost painfully into his thighs. She finally relaxed and he pulled out of her, earning another whimper. Eric fell onto his back, still panting, an arm going over his eyes. Teddy chanced a glance at him and then sat up, swinging her sore legs over the bed.

"And just where are you going?" His tenor was almost playful.

"To clean myself up." Her voice seemed small and so far away as she headed to the bathroom to pee and wipe off her sticky legs. Her thighs trembled with each movement and when she came back to the bedroom, Eric was fast asleep. His body was utterly relaxed and his lips parted slightly as he snored softly. The only evidence of their escapade was his semi-hard cock. A part of Teddy wanted to curl up next to him, having already felt his warmth one way, maybe actually sleeping with this bear of a man would keep her warm through the night.

But the logical side of Teddy kept her standing at the foot of the bed. The rational thoughts of Eric as her mentor, Eric as possessive and jealous, those thoughts kept her from crawling into bed. She thought about how he'd gotten from her what he'd wanted, because, despite his vow that she was his, she knew how men were, from old books and the mouths of women throughout Erudite and even Dauntless. She knew she was being smart as she dressed in a quiet rush, as she left Eric's apartment and laid in her cold bed, she knew she was right for leaving. Because then her mentor wouldn't be embarrassed about kicking her out of bed in the morning, that way she wouldn't feel the cold sting of rejection and things could go back to normal.

* * *

 **Was this what you were all waiting for? ;) As always, don't be afraid to tell me what you think**


	11. Chapter 10

The next day, Eric was overtly cruel. He had made everyone watch the sisters fight each other, neither being allowed to concede. In the end, Amy reluctantly knocked out Zoe and felt terrible for it. Eric held Andre down in a chokehold until he tapped out, then kept going. Mathias had three broken fingers and then had been forced into knife practice without any splints. The only person who had not been on the end of Eric's wrath was Teddy. No, he didn't even make eye contact with her. To him, she didn't exist.

"Get out." She'd finally found him in the training room after dinner. She knew there wouldn't be any weight training tonight, but she figured she'd try to get a reaction out of him.

"I have just as much right to be here as you." His eyes flashed dangerously.

"Get out." He hissed. "I don't train cowards." Her sharp eyes met his in anger.

"I may be many things, but a coward isn't one of them." His mouth curled in disgust.

"Right, like slut, whore, bitch-." He would have carried on, but she abruptly slapped him and was pleased at the red imprint on his cheek.

"You don't get to talk to me like that." With one swift move, she was pressed against the wall, his hand at her throat, squeezing just enough to intimidate her.

"I can talk to you however the fuck I want. You belong to me." She kneed him in the groin and he wheezed out a curse.

"I don't belong to anyone, least of all you." He went to move in on her, but Jonathan walked in.

"What?" Eric barked.

"Factionless uprising." He told them. "We need everyone tonight." Eric rolled his eyes, but followed the older man nonetheless. Teddy moved swiftly behind them, almost running to keep up with their long strides.

"We've got patrols out already, but we're sending more soldiers in." Max informed them. "Each of you candidates will be in charge of your own squadron, think of this as another test. If you come out alive, must mean you learned something." Teddy felt the adrenaline course through her as LeeAnn handed her a gun and Jonathan passed around vests for protection. Eric was looking at something on his tablet. He glanced at Teddy, and then typed something in.

"You're in charge of Patrol five." Max sighed.

"Eric, you can't just-."

"I'm sure she'll learn something new." He smirked at her and Teddy kept in her sigh of annoyance. It was common knowledge that Patrol five was made up of a bunch of wimps, some of the low rankers and the ones who didn't take direction very well. They didn't make much of a good team. And now Teddy was in charge of getting all of them in and out alive.

The trucks pulled up to the Factionless sector and there were groups corralled into guarded areas. Two men approached Max and told him about the situation and how it had progressed. There was a group inside one of the buildings resisting the guards; they were the ones who'd started the riot and had somehow managed to get guns. So far, six of the Dauntless had been shot. And Teddy felt her heart sink when she heard that two hadn't made it back to the compound. A surge of pride for her faction swept through her and she was determined to get justice for what had transpired.

"Teddy, take your unit to level seven." Shauna told her. "It looks like the protesters are hiding out on level five, but we want them completely surrounded in case they manage past the other squadrons." Teddy nodded once and had her unit follow her. They climbed up the fire escapes until level six. A little boy was hugging his teddy bear when he saw her climb in, motioning for the others to follow. She gave the child a soft smile and pressed a finger to her lips. He pretended to zip them and throw away the key, which earned a bigger smile from the Dauntless soldier.

"Clear." Teddy peered down the hall and saw stairs that they could climb. She pointed toward them and the man behind her, Charlie, nodded before following. The six other guards clambered through the window, following Teddy to get to a higher level. "Patrol five, at level six, heading to level seven." She muttered into her com.

"Have you made contact with Patrol two?" Teddy furrowed her brows as she peered into each of the rooms, the third had a mass of black sitting in the corner. "We've got another down, it's…" She checked his name badge. "We've got Michael Gibbs down. He…Jesus." Up close, he looked even worse. The blood on his face was drying, but it was clear to see that he'd been pummeled into the radiator, the sharp edge lodged into his skull. "He's already gone."

"Then keep moving." That was Eric's low growl. "We don't have time to sit and wallow." Teddy stood from her crouch and walked out of the room, motioning for the soldiers to follow her. She kept her gun at the ready as they entered the stairwell and right at that moment, a sweaty Factionless man came running down the stairs.

"You!" He pointed shakily at Teddy. His accusation caught her off guard.

"Me?" The breathless man looked at her squadron, then back at her with a menacing smile.

"She's perfect." He nodded once at someone behind her and it seemed to be a signal. Just as Teddy turned around, one of the men easily fired at her, sending a white-hot pain searing through her body. It was just her shoulder, but the pain was enough to make her cry out. She pulled her own trigger, aiming true as the bullet was lodged into the man's skull.

"Teddy?" A voice rang through her com. It was Shauna. "Report? We heard gunshots."

"I'm hit." She gritted out. "Fucking moles."

"Teddy!" Charlie shoved her down and out of the way, getting shot in the leg as they rolled down the flight of stairs. He winced as Teddy shot again.

"Teddy, report!" That was Eric.

"I can't talk while I'm getting shot at!" She screeched at him as she pulled Charlie to his feet. The man groaned and one of the moles, Steven, she knew his name was, jumped down to their level. The hilt of his gun easily knocked Charlie out of the way as he made his way to Teddy. He didn't expect the small woman to know how to handle herself so well. She dodged the barrel of his gun, sliding around him and using the stair rail for support as she leapt over and back around, sending a kick toward his head. "Who the fuck is on our side?" She shouted through her com as she raced back upstairs, picking up a gun, barging through another hallway.

"Who the fuck let moles into our fucking faction?" Eric growled. "Who tied those fucking moles together?"

"How the fuck are we supposed to know?" Max tried.

"I swear to God-." Eric was cut off with gunfire on his side, and it sounded like he was returning it. "Teddy, where the fuck are you?"

"Level six, I'm gonna try-."

"No, stay where you are, I'm sending in backup." And then it was silent as she crouched low against a column.

"Well, you're a pretty thing." A nasty smile found her in the darkness. Teddy kicked up and he let out a moaning chuckle. "Feisty, too. Oh, you'll be very fun to play with." Something hit her head, which blurred her vision. Then a fist met her face several times in succession. "Oh, did I beat the fire out? Shame. I thought I might get something out of you."

"I'm not giving you shit." Teddy spat blood at him before bashing her head against his. She shot at him and the scream told her she met her target. She headed back to the hallway, running up more stairs as she heard the clamor down a few levels. If she could get back to the fire escape, she could get back to the other members of Dauntless. But another shot rang out and Teddy went down with a shriek of agony, clutching her thigh.

"Teddy! Teddy!" The adrenaline had her laughing at how hysterical Eric sounded. "I told you to stay fucking put! I told you-!" His voice was cut off when someone took the com from her ear and stepped on it.

"You hurt my friend." The man's voice echoed throughout the room. He rolled Teddy over so she could see him. He had greasy hair and a dirty face, just like the rest of the factionless they'd seen tonight, but his eyes were an iridescent blue that seemed to peer through her soul. "And while I don't condone murder, I'm going to hurt you, too." He looked at the broken com. "I don't think he's going to like that." With every bit of strength Teddy possessed, she threw her fist into the man's face to try and knock him off balance. He only grabbed her wrist and pulled her up violently, swinging her into a column. The man let her fall with a groan and he only sighed. "I don't like violence. I really don't. But how else can I make you see, princess?"

"Don't fucking call me that." She hissed out, attempting to rise to her feet.

"Oh, no? But you allow your man to call you that, do you not?" Teddy froze, how the fuck could he possible know that? "Oh, princess, I have eyes on anything worth seeing." With one fluid move, Teddy released her hidden knife and plunged it into the man's knee. He screamed and Teddy kicked him down with her good leg, aiming to run somewhere far from him. But he pulled on her ankle, taking her down to join him. They grappled for a few moments before someone burst in. The Factionless man took one shot and the soldier went down.

"No!" Teddy cried out. The man took the knife out of his limb and stood with a strength Teddy had never seen anyone possess. Then he lifted her, no matter how much she fought to get back to her faction as they stormed the level. She saw Eric run in with two other soldiers, lift his gun to aim, but he was too late. The factionless man jumped straight through the window, Teddy swung round his shoulders. And in the few moments that she fell, she wondered how this could be the end. How she'd been trained for naught and as the anger surged through her that her life was at an end, she felt her back hit water, not concrete. And that was all she knew before her world went black.

* * *

 **So...turn of events? Thoughts? Concerns? Tell me what you think! :)**


	12. Chapter 11

Dauntless received one video of Teddy a day. The first one had her stripped to her underwear and tied to a chair, with her feet in a bucket of water and they threw more buckets of water on her when she remained silent. They kept asking her questions to which the leaders of Dauntless knew she wouldn't have any answers to. And as the candidates looked on in horror at their friend being tortured, they were at a loss for what to do.

The second day, they had her bound and strung up in a crude manner with three men whipping her with their belts. Whenever they asked her a question, she'd clamp her mouth shut, and shake her head. And when they forced her to shout or scream, she'd tell them that she wasn't going to give away any secrets.

"But she doesn't know anything." Mathias was insistant. "Don't they know that?"

"The longer they think she does, the more time she has left." Max was exhausted. "If she keeps fighting and they think she's just keeping her mouth shut, they'll keep her alive."

On the third day, they gave her a serum that induced seizures. For twenty minutes, while their ringleader spoke into the camera, everyone watched as the renegade men allowed her to convulse, then they sparked her awake to do it all over again. And when everyone left to discuss how the Factionless were getting their hands on such medication, Mathias kept his mouth shut as Eric rewound the video to watch it on loop.

* * *

On the fourth day, they'd reduced to using Teddy as a punching back. Her hands were tied up above her head to a pillar and they all watched as she struggled against her bonds and got a few kicks in to the men who were beating her. She cursed at them and spat at them until one knocked her unconscious, only to slap her back awake.

"We just want the serum." The man who'd taken Teddy spoke to the camera. "We know you've got plans with Erudite and if you hand over the serum, we'll give the girl back. Although…" He turned back to Teddy, whose body kept jolting with every hit she took. "She can certainly take a beating. What else can she take? I know your youngest leader knows." No one missed the way Eric's jaw tensed even further, and how his clenched knuckles turned white. "Do you miss her, Eric? I bet she kept your bed very warm." The man caressed Teddy's cheek, to which she made to bite him. It just made the other men laugh. "Will you still want her after my men are done tomorrow? If not," he shrugged. "We may just keep her. She might be good for other things." They knew he could only mean one thing.

But they were all shocked when the video came the next day and Teddy was not being subjected to sexual assault. Their relief was short-lived however, when their leader took up a whip with three ends and began the attack on her back. He spoke calmly to them, insisting on the serum as he continued the assailant on Teddy, who tried not to make any noise.

"What serum is he even talking about?" Mathias finally wanted to know. "Ok, what-what plans with Erudite does he mean? We've been shadowing you guys for almost two months now and there have been no secret plans with Erudite. I mean…that we know about."

"Even if we did know what he was talking about, we don't house serums here." LeeAnn responded. "We'd have to figure out what he's specifically talking about and then send in an official report to Erudite to get permission to use it."

"And there's no way they'd give it to us." Eric rubbed his face. He looked utterly exhausted. His hair was a bit disheveled and there was a shadow of a beard growing out on his face. He looked a bit pale, as if he hadn't been eating well and the bags under his eyes made everyone wonder if he'd slept even a moment since Teddy's kidnapping. "The doctors at Erudite have the serums under more protection than their own children."

"So then, we need to get her ourselves." Amy pointed out.

"That's what we're working on." Max promised them.

* * *

On the sixth day, after they'd watched Teddy get mildly electrocuted in a bathtub, Mathias approached Eric. There was a dangerous glint in the older man's eyes that set Mathias on edge, but he needed to get his point across.

You re-watching the videos isn't helping." Mathias said quickly, getting Eric's attention. The glare that Eric sent had Mathias speaking again very quickly. "At least, I'm pretty sure it's not." Mathias' shoulders relaxed "And…man, you're not looking too great." Before Eric could shout at him, he continued. "Like, I get that it seems there's too much to do and bathing just gets in the way, but like, we need you at your best. She needs you at your best."

"Don't talk about her like you know her." Mathias held his hands up in apology.

"I know I don't know her like you do, I-I respect that. But I do know that she thinks of me as a friend, in her own strange way. And I see her as my friend, too. So I know I can speak for her when I say she needs you at your best because you're not going to be able to do shit for her if you're running on fumes." Eric looked ready to hit him, but then it seemed to pass and he ran a hand down his face. "It's not your fault, you know." Eric made to refute, but once again, Mathias beat him to it. "I used to work in the infirmary, I know guilt when I see it. But this isn't your fault."

"I assigned her to the squadron." He mumbled. "All those fucking moles…"

"You didn't know that would happen." Mathias assured him. "I know she doesn't blame you." There was a tick in Eric's jaw. "All you can do now is sleep, maybe eat something and come back to this in the morning."

"Yeah. If she's still there in the morning."


	13. Chapter 12

The week-long marker brought another video, this time of two of the men shoving Teddy's head underwater for prolonged periods of time. As the Dauntless leaders and their candidates watched, they knew her lack of a struggle wasn't because the fight had finally left her, she was being strategic in her breathing, hoping to hold her breath for longer periods of time.

The eighth day is when they made a mistake. They were using Teddy as a punching bag again, except she'd been blindfolded and stripped back down to her underwear with her feet in a bucket of water. But when the camera twisted around, Mathias noticed something.

"Stop." He barked out. Max paused the video. "Rewind to…there." The video was paused on the moon rising up over the city. "That building."

"The Erudite tower?" Amy asked dully.

"Yes! Do you see the way it's facing? It's toward the east!"

"Which means?" Shauna couldn't quite get it, but Eric was looking at him with wide eyes.

"Which means she's been in Candor this whole time." The youngest leader answered.

"We've been looking in the wrong area!"

On the ninth day, with newfound information, they found the mole that had been connecting the wires from Candor to Dauntless, interfering with the control feeds and allowing the leaders to receive the videos from the Factionless rebels. And after getting the information necessary to move in and rescue Teddy, everyone turned a blind eye to Eric beating the mole to a bloody pulp before shoving him in a cell to retrieve further information when necessary.

Then, they were all on trucks on the way to the outskirts of Candor, where it was widely known that some Factionless had made their homes, but a few old buildings that had been torn apart in the war had never been rebuilt. They were old and decrepit and seemingly dangerous, but they were the only places the Factionless could go. And it was the perfect cover for rebels to lay low.

Eric and two other soldiers found Teddy tied up in the bathtub on the ground floor. The tub was half-full and the water freezing. Teddy's skin was a mottled purple and blue that stood out against ghostly white of her frigid state and her lips and fingernails were tinted blue. She was muttering something in a whispered frenzy that he couldn't catch on to. Quickly, he untied the ropes and pulled her out of the bathtub. She groaned and struggled against him, and he figured she thought he was another one of the Factionless here to harass her.

"Get off!" She groaned out. "I'm not telling you…shit." Eric threw his jacket around the shivering woman before scooping her up in his arms.

"I got you, princess." He murmured to her. Her eyes fluttered open and he wondered if she could even recognize him.

"You're mine." She whispered out before her eyelids fluttered shut once more. She wasn't entirely unconscious as she was clutching his collar like a lifeline, but she was pretty damn close.

He held her close on the way back to Dauntless, letting go of her only to pass her off to one of the doctors. And, when the curtains closed and she was hooked up to various machines, Eric made sure he would find the man who'd done this to Teddy and make him feel everything she'd felt and worse. Because nobody touched what belonged to him.


	14. Chapter 13

At first, there was nothing. Then there was beeping. Voices murmuring. And the fluorescent lights were giving her a headache. She was still freezing, but she could feel the sweat dripping down her neck and she wondered how that was possible. She had to blink a few times before she was able to make out the figures by her bed. She could just barely make out the faces of her leaders as well as a few doctors. Max and Jonathan had deep frowns on their faces while LeeAnn kept biting her nails and Shauna was pacing. Eric stood with his arms crossed, jaw clenched tight and eyebrows furrowed as he stared at nothing in particular.

"Damage report." She croaked out, getting everyone's attention. She tried sitting up properly, but a nurse kept her leaned back. Teddy didn't have the energy to fight her off.

"Two gunshot wounds, three broken ribs, dislocated kneecap, multiple contusions and lacerations, concussion and hypothermia." Max listed off.

"Don't forget the collapsed lung." Shauna added.

"Wouldn't want to forget that now, would we?" It was silent for a long moment before LeeAnn finally spoke up.

"Teddy…" She sighed. "It will be a while before you're fully healed." Teddy felt her jaw involuntarily clench and it sent a jolt of pain down her spine.

"I'm cut, aren't I?" Five pairs of eyes stared down at her. "From the program. I can't be trained, so…" The sigh she let out sent her chest aching.

"No." Jonathan seemed adamant about the decision. His tone caused Teddy to look up at him in bewilderment. "The program was almost finished when the uprising occurred. Given your progress and the setback this gave Dauntless, the ceremony will be held once you're healed."

"Ceremony?"

"Welcome to the team, Teddy." Max sent her a cheeky grin. "You and Andre will be taking Jonathan and LeeAnn's place at the beginning of the year." Teddy was at a loss.

"What do you mean by setback?" She wondered.

"The compound was bombed while we were away." Shauna explained. "We had so many soldiers at the fence and to cover the riots that no one caught it in time."

"How many-?"

"Six." LeeAnn answered. "A lot more people were injured, but they're doing fine now. The blast was in your living area…so we're figuring out where to put you once you're cleared." It was quiet for a moment.

"I told them you could stay with me." Eric spoke up, gaining everyone's attention. No one looked surprised except for Teddy.

"I can take care of myself." Eric snorted.

"Says the girl who got kidnapped." She glared at him.

"Says the one who put me in charge of the fucking moles." He cocked a pierced brow dangerously high.

"Are you insinuating something?" He hissed.

"Oh, I think I got my point across." Teddy growled back, her ribs protesting with each breath she took. A flash passed over his eyes. It was something Teddy didn't recognize in the leader, something akin to shame. But was Eric even capable of that?

"Enough!" Max shouted. "I don't know what happened between the two of you before this shit happened, and frankly, I don't care. Eric, you chose her as your candidate and I'm leaving it to you to make sure she gets where she needs to be. Teddy, you may be very close to being a leader yourself, but you still need to listen to authority and stop putting your mentor through hell. You're a soldier, not a rebel." Frankly, Teddy didn't even feel human at this point. "Where's this attitude coming from?" The young woman didn't answer and no one really expected her to. "Whatever the issue is, you two need to sort it out sooner rather than later." With that, the others left the infirmary, leaving Eric and Teddy alone. He glared at her before his whole face relaxed. There was another glint in his eyes that Teddy couldn't read and she felt incredibly vulnerable before him. Eric shuffled forward until he was at her bedside. Up close, she could see the bags under his eyes and how his lips were chapped, as if he'd been biting them recently. His hand twitched, as if he wanted to reach out to her, but he stopped himself from doing so.

"Get some rest." And then he was stalking out of the room, leaving Teddy with an icy feeling surrounding her heart, and a longing for him to stay that she cursed herself for.

* * *

 **Don't worry, I wouldn't kill off Teddy, I love her too much. I love her so much that I'm willing to put her to the test and see what breaks her. Let me know what you guys think of these last two chapters. Thanks! 3**


	15. Chapter 14

Teddy was kept in the infirmary for observation for the next week. It was one thing to have someone give her sponge baths and help her to the toilet, but another for a psychiatrist from Erudite to come and give her an evaluation. She was absolutely livid with the nurse on duty, but once Shauna told her that she wouldn't be cleared for duty without meeting with someone, especially after such a traumatic experience, she tried to keep calm.

"And how do you feel about the people who did this to you?" He was an older man and Teddy couldn't help but roll her eyes at the wahe was speaking to her, as if talking to a child who had been bullied.

"I'm going to find them." Teddy vowed. "And I'm gonna fucking kill them." Despite his specialty in PTSD in Dauntless soldiers, the venom in her tone had him swallowing hard. "Is that what you want to hear? Or would you prefer me to forgive them?" He shrugged.

"I just want an honest answer."

"Well, then. There you have it. Once my knee is healed, I won't be the victim anymore. They will."

* * *

Andre, Mathias, Amy and Zoe came to visit one day. They'd all heard the news about her being promoted to Leader and they came bearing their own good news about where they'd be working. Mathias was going to work in the control room with Four while Amy would oversee management throughout the compound and Zoe was going to be an Ambassador, travelling back and forth between factions, going to meetings when the leaders couldn't and would help to keep the peace.

"So, have you seen Eric yet?" Amy wanted to know.

"Um, all the leaders were here when I woke up." Teddy answered slowly.

"But have you seen him since? Like, does he visit everyday?" Zoe's eyes were wide and glistening with mischief.

"I'm too old for this shit." Andre rolled his eyes, but his smirk told Teddy that he was mildly interested in the gossip.

"He's the one who found you." Teddy could vaguely remember that. She'd been freezing and he'd been a comforting furnace. "And then you were out for a few days and the doctors literally had to kick him out so they could get you the proper care. He kept trying to order them around. You should have seen Isabelle shout at him to get out of her way," Mathias snickered as he mentioned the petite Head Nurse. Then his eyes shifted toward the entryway, as if the leader in question might pounce in at any moment. It almost made Teddy want to smile.

 _Almost._

"I'm surprised he's not here now barking at us to leave you alone." Andre chuckled. Teddy didn't really know what to say.

"So are you gonna tell us what happened the night before…it…all happened?" Zoe didn't know how to phrase it.

"Before I was kidnapped?" Teddy's ruthless tone created a bout of silence. She then lowered her eyes to the stark white sheets of the bed. "Nothing happened."

"Oh, that's bullshit." Mathias exclaimed. "Look, if you two bumped uglies, that's your own business." Amy and Zoe giggled while Andre grimaced. "But I had to talk him down after like, a week because he looked ready to pass out trying to find you. He kinda smelled, too. I'm pretty sure he was exchanging showering for mole-hunting." The sisters snorted at his side-comments.

"Well, I'm glad to know you all weren't sitting on your asses." Teddy mumbled. Mathias sighed and looked toward Andre for help.

"Teddy, it's your business, we're not going to push you." The older man sent a meaningful look toward the sisters. "But that boy was running himself into the ground trying to do anything to find you. We all know there's something going on. I've known Eric for a while, I helped out Amar with the transfers during Eric's initiation." That was news to everyone. "And I've never seen him like this. He's been like this since your own initiation."

"What?" Teddy couldn't stop herself.

"The way he looks at you, the way he acts around you, it's like he's finally able to relax. You two are kindred spirits and I mean that in the best and worst way possible. You two are too stubborn to admit to anything and you'll both run yourselves ragged by whipping each other back and forth. Now, I like you both, so stop playing games and let the chemical spark shit of nature do its work."

"Damn." Zoe mumbled. "That was deep." Andre chuckled.

"How do you think I got Remy to marry me?"

"I'm not trying to play games." Teddy tried arguing.

"You're young," Andre admitted. "You don't-."

"It's not that." Teddy's voice was quiet and everyone inched forward to wait for her to speak. "He just…I-." She cut herself off. She was never at a loss for words, she was always quick on her feet, her tongue sharp and her mind always racing with thoughts. "I don't like not being in control."

"For what it's worth, I don't think he does, either." Amy offered.

"Lack of communication can be a dangerous thing." Andre told her. Teddy nodded solemnly.

"I don't know what he wants." She admitted.

"Do you know what you want?" Mathias asked. The young woman swallowed heavily before looking at everyone.

"This is very new to me." She told them. "I-I've never…" She cleared her throat. "I've never felt this before." She cringed at her phrasing, but no one teased her for it. "I've never felt this vulnerable." Even now, confessing this to these people was strange to her and she wasn't sure what the result would be; what their reactions would be. "And-and I'm pretty sure he knows what he's doing…so I have even less control. I don't-I don't think I like it. It um…it gets in the way. I have more important things to do."

"Like finding those sons of bitches and making them pay?" Zoe wondered venomously. Teddy nodded, not thinking twice about her tone. "We're all with you on that. You know that right? We're going to find those rebels and make them fucking suffer." Amy and Mathias seemed baffled by her behavior, but no one refuted her words. "All of us, Eric included."

"I think…" Mathias began. "I think you help him focus. And cloud his judgment at the same time." Teddy frowned. "And that's not necessarily a bad thing. I think the same goes for you and that's ok." But that's not how Teddy's mind worked. "Whatever you need, we're right there with you. And so is Eric."

But he wasn't there now, was he?

* * *

 **Some more insight on everyone, I think. What do you all think?**


	16. Chapter 15

After a total of ten days of observation and sedatives and pain killers, the doctors in the infirmary finally cleared her. She still had a lot of healing to do, but there was nothing more they could do other than let her rest. And after a lot of fighting on Teddy's part, she was released under Eric's care. He came by after lunch to pick her up. The doctors gave him a few pill packets and a black box that she kept eyeing suspiciously. But she kept her mouth shut as the doctors helped her into a wheelchair, no matter how much she swatted at them.

Her torso burned something horrid, and the bruises didn't help, but neither did breathing. She tried to keep her knee from bending too much, but it throbbed every time she jostled it. Her arms were sore and littered with bruises and cuts. She kept staring at the jagged scabs around her wrists where they'd kept her tied up. And every time she swallowed, she could feel the bruises around her neck where they'd held her in multiple chokeholds until she passed out.

The compound was quiet as Eric steered her toward his apartment. The halls echoed with the creaky wheels of the wheelchair and her chattering teeth. Her body didn't feel cold, but it seemed to seep through to her bones. Although, she still felt feverish, which made her slightly nauseous. She could feel the painkillers wearing off and wanted nothing more than to crawl into a warm bed and sleep for days. But knowing Eric, she'd probably end up locked up in some torture chamber.

"Come on, let's get you into the shower." His baritone voice was soft as he wheeled Teddy just outside the bathroom. He set the knobs to a decent temperature before gingerly lifting the young woman from the wheelchair and setting her to a standing position on the cool tile. Her eyes flashed with something as she eyed the bathtub and the water flowing down the drain. Her whole body protested and she would have toppled over had it not been for Eric's quick reflexes.

"No, that's not-." Her jaw clenched and she was breathing shallowly, trying to keep herself under control.

"It's just a shower." Eric met her gaze. "The water's warm. Here." He took her bruised arm and set it under the rivulets. "See?"

"Yes." She nodded once, not meeting his gaze. "Yes, I know." Eric practically felt the wash of shame fall over her at the flashback. He understood that PTSD was a common thing around here. These people were soldiers and had seen a lot during their time here. And rage stirred in his chest over the fact that Teddy had experienced such horrors and he couldn't do anything about it. And now she was trying to hide from him.

"Let me help."

"I can-I can do it." It took him a moment for him to recognize that she was angry with herself, not with him; angry that she couldn't function normally without assistance.

"Let me help." He repeated himself. It was quiet for a few long moments before she nodded and he reached behind her, gently untying the hospital gown, leaving her bare and vulnerable. The bullet wounds on her shoulder and thigh had been stitched up and there was still chafing all along her body from the ropes they had bound her with. Ugly bruises mottled her torso in blue and purple and her knee was completely black from the dislocation. Her ankles and wrists were finally healing and had scabbed over from being tied down and there were more bruises on her hips and neck from being held down. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she tried her best to keep modest, despite knowing that Eric had seen everything already.

"I need-." She cut herself off, back to staring at the ground, refusing to meet his penetrating stare. Her hands awkwardly reached out to his shoulders for balance and his hands went under her arms as she stepped into the tub with her good leg first, keeping most of her weight off her bad knee and slowly sank to a sitting position as the hot water cascaded over her. The hot water quickly turned her skin a bright pink, but she was still cold. She looked down to see the blood and grime being properly washed away from her body, swirling down the drain; the sponge baths having done little to properly clean her up. Teddy was no stranger to pain, but this by far had to be the worst. Not only was her entire body in agony, but her ego was bruised as well. Chosen for the Leadership program, she was expected to handle things like this with finesse, not make stupid mistakes and overlook plans and get kidnapped. She knew what the whole faction must think of her. Now, having Eric, of all people, stuck babysitting her and nursing her back to health, she couldn't think of a worse way to recover. She knew he had better things to do.

She hissed quietly as the steaming water burned her healing cuts and pelted against her bruises, though the heat was helping her headache a smidge. But her wrists and ankles burned something fierce and as Teddy gingerly rinsed those wounds, she couldn't help the small whimpers from coming out. She couldn't bear to look at Eric after that. Even with a curtain between them, she knew his gaze was constant, making sure she was ok. There was an icy feeling clenching tightly around her chest at the thought of Eric having better things to do than take care of her. She wanted to show she was more than capable of handling herself. But there was also a glimmer of optimism stirring in her belly. He had offered to do this. And her friends' words came back to her, making her want to believe that he wouldn't do this just because he felt obligated to. Maybe this was ok.

He gave her some privacy when she got out of the shower. He handed her a towel and left her be. With her hand, she wiped the perspiration off the mirror to get a full look at herself. She frowned deeply as she saw the stitches above her left brow, and the swelling bruise along her right cheekbone. There were stitches on her lower lip and just under her left ear. The grotesque bruises on her neck did nothing to help her appearance and her shoulders sagged with despair. With her short, disproportionate stature, she already felt unsightly. She was fit and toned, but stood with wide hips, a big ass and an ample chest despite all her workouts. While she typically didn't put much stock into appearance, her face had always been her saving grace, especially when she took the time to put on makeup. Now she stared at herself with disgust, and there was nothing she could do about it. She re-wrapped the bandage tightly around her knee before remembering Eric had brought her here in nothing but her hospital gown. She mumbled a string of curses before cracking open the bathroom door.

"What?" It seemed he'd been waiting for her.

"Are-are any of my things still viable?" He cocked a pierced brow. "Like, my clothes?"

"If you wanna wear ash and rags." She exhaled slowly through her nose and he sighed, looking up at the ceiling like he was counting to a very high number. "I'll get you something." He headed over to what Teddy assumed was his room and disappeared for a few moments. Teddy began shivering again, her teeth chattering, causing her aching jaw to scream out. Eric handed her a large sweater and sweatpants that she mumbled out her gratitude for and shut the door again. She sat on the edge of the tub and carefully slipped on the sweatpants. They were much too big on her, coming up past her waist. When she tried balancing on her bad leg, she slipped, earning a loud sigh from Eric. "Do you need help?"

"No!" She growled. "I'm fine." She grunted in exertion as she stood up once more, only to have Eric burst through the door. She fell backwards again in surprise with a heavy thud as she placed her hands over her chest. "Get out!" He only rolled his eyes and approached her.

"You're going to make your concussion worse if you keep banging your head." He grabbed her by the waist, forgetting about her broken ribs until she cried out. Their eyes met and she could have sworn his eyes softened. He stood her up and delicately pulled the sweatpants up and tightened them around her waist. "Arms up." Teddy rolled her eyes, feeling like a child, but did as he said. She could only bring her arms up so far, though, before her torso protested. Her breath caught in her throat as she slowly raised them further and Eric guided the sleeves onto her battered arms and down her body. The sleeves hung way past her hands and the sweatpants pooled at her ankles, but she was grateful for the warmth. "Better?"

"Thank you." She couldn't meet his gaze and he knew it wasn't because she was being shy or that her ego was too big to properly thank him. She wheezed out a cough and she drew her hands to her forehead as she winced at the pain from her concussion. "Can I have my meds?" He also knew that if Teddy wanted her meds that badly, she must have been in severe pain. He'd seen her take a beating numerous times and wave it away. His jaw clenched at the memory of the fucking rebels who'd dared do this to her. But he quickly shrugged the anger away. Now was not the time to get riled up about it.

He figured it was just his duty to be upset. The Factionless had kidnapped _his_ candidate and had killed several other soldiers. Eric didn't like the idea of moles infiltrating his faction. He had a job that he was damn good at and he'd still let this happen. No, it had nothing to do with the fact that he felt solely responsible, of course not. He refused to let those thoughts creep in, not now when he had to take care of Teddy. Not now when he had to find those bastards responsible for this. Not now. Not ever. She'd made that perfectly clear when she'd left in the middle of the night.

He lifted her up with ease, careful of her ribs, and keeping an arm under her knees and a hand on her left calf to keep her knee from bending. She gasped in shock and clutched at his collar for stability. Then he carefully placed her on the bed in the guest room and left. He returned with a glass of water and a small amount of pills. She was shivering again, her eyes were drooping and he had to help her sip the water, she was shaking so bad.

And why did it irritate Eric that her hair was so messy? He trudged into his bathroom to retrieve a comb and began to run it through Teddy's long, dark hair. He was used to it being wavy, curling at the ends. In her entire time at Dauntless, he'd never seen it wet and straight; she was always prepared and ready to go. Then again, he'd never seen her like this, either. He supposed there was a first for everything.

"Mmm, that's nice." She slurred out, her head following Eric's combing. He figured her meds had kicked in quickly without any food in her stomach. "Hands are…mph…nice." He was acutely aware of her weary body leaning back into his and could pinpoint the exact second he leapt from the bed as she fell with a grunt and a whine as her breathing shifted and her eyes fluttered close, long lashes grazing the bruises along her cheekbones.

* * *

It had been a few hours since sunset and he was still working on the report. Now that things had died down, the team was going over possible Factionless strategy and while the tactical team had given their input, he was still trying to figure out how the Factionless had infiltrated Dauntless and why they had targeted Teddy and not someone else; someone of higher power. A part of him wanted to blame her lack of training, that she was small and couldn't hold her own, but he knew that was false. He'd been training her himself the past two months. As an ex-Erudite, she was a quick learner and applied herself well; it was why she'd ranked first during her class. She was strong, fast and nimble. She was quite capable of taking care of herself. So then why had this happened?

A bigger part blamed himself. He should have seen these soldiers and known that they weren't real members. But instead, he'd brushed it off, taking the good squadron for himself and leaving those he considered weak to Teddy's devices. How was he supposed to know that four of the six placed with her were spies? But no, he still blamed himself because he should have seen it. Now Jeanine was riding their asses about the Factionless and was upset about the force they'd put behind the hunt for Teddy and how they could prevent it from happening again.

"No." He heard a hoarse grumble coming from the cracked door. "Don't shoot." Eric furrowed his brows. "I'm not-I'm not gonnna…" She trailed off, mumbling something incoherent. He could hear her chattering teeth from where he sat and with a sigh, stood up to investigate. Her lips were still tinted blue and there was gooseflesh on her displayed skin. She snarled at something in her dream, swiping at something unseen by Eric. "Don't touch-!" She grimaced as she twisted her torso in her sleep.

"Fuck," Eric cursed before kneeling on the bed. He knew better than to wake someone from a nightmare, but he had no idea how to stop her from continuing to hurt herself.

"Don't hurt…No!" She cried out again in a breathless pant, smacking some imaginary thing. Eric caught her icy hand in his own and placed it back at her side. "I won't-I won't-!" She struggled against his restraints, loud groans coming from her due to the irritation of her broken ribs. Eric cursed again and straddled the young woman, knees keeping her hips and wrists bound while his hands pushed her shoulders down, careful of her bullet wound. She was insanely feverish and he wondered if he had any medicine for her. "Don't shoot!" Another cry left her mouth. "I'm-I'm here." A shaky breath left her as she suddenly opened her eyes, green orbs glassy with tears, as she wasn't fully awake. She just shook her head and he found himself nodding.

"Yeah." He cleared his throat. "You're-you're here." He had no idea what he was saying, but it seemed to appease her as she relaxed under his tight grip. He relented and found her hand reaching for his shirt collar.

"You're warm." She mumbled, pulling at him. He tried pulling away, but when her teeth started chattering again, he felt his resolve break. With a heavy sigh, he laid half on top of her, tensing up as she practically melted in his arms. 

* * *

**So...what do you guys think? Is it realistic enough? What about the dynamic going on between Eric and Teddy right now? Any thoughts or ideas?**


	17. Chapter 16

It continued that way for a full week. Occasionally, Teddy would come in to the leadership meetings to give any feedback she had on what she'd seen during her ten days with the Factionless, but most of the time, she was in Eric's spare bedroom, utterly medicated.

But one day, she woke up mid-afternoon and felt hyper alert. The pain was beginning to edge away and she felt like she could function on her own. She made a pathetic attempt at using the crutches, but her torso still ached with each step. And loath as she was to use it, she ended up using the wheelchair to maneuver her way through Dauntless. She was in desperate need of her own things. She'd been switching out Eric's clothes now for a while now and while he didn't comment on it, she felt incredibly invasive.

It was just the necessities she'd need for now. When they figured out her new living situation, she'd do a bit more shopping. And while she stacked up a pile of new clothes and some bathroom essentials, the shopkeepers kept eerily quiet and only stared at her as though she were a time bomb. And as much as Teddy wanted to snarl at them, she kept silent as she paid for her things and headed back to Eric's apartment, where she was surprised to see him back so early in the day.

"You know, you should probably start walking around on your own a little bit." Was the first thing he said. She scoffed at his greeting as she headed toward her room with her bags. She sat on the bed and stretched out her injured leg.

"Why? So I can fall and hit my head? Then I'll die and you can finally have some peace?"

"Your words princess, not mine." Teddy let out a deep sigh before slowly rising back to her feet. Her knee didn't feel as wobbly as it had been and her ribs weren't shifting like they had in the days previous, though they were still sore from attempting to use the crutches earlier. Getting proper rest had been the right thing to do. The wrong thing to do, however, was actually put all her weight onto her left leg. The movement sent her toppling with a sharp cry. She clattered against the wheelchair that rolled out from under her and her ass met the carpet with a groan. She started to get up when she noticed a hand in front of her. She smacked it out of the way and Eric sighed.

"I don't need your help."

"Clearly, you do."

"I can do this by myself, Eric. It's just taking me more time than I'm used to." She used her good leg to support herself as she stood up to full height.

"Why are you so against my help?"

"Why are you against anyone's help?" She returned, albeit a bit sassily.

"Because I don't need it."

"And I don't need yours." She returned. "See? I'm fine." She began folding her new clothes and putting them away neatly.

"We should get you a cane." He smirked.

"You should. Then I can hit you with it."

"You'd have to catch me first, gimp." Teddy swore she saw a small smile grace his features; he didn't hide the mischievous glint in his eyes very well.

"Is that a challenge?" She cocked her hip, realizing at the last minute that it was her bad leg. Before she fell completely, Eric had caught her upper arms and set her upright.

"It's a challenge for you." He smirked.

"Yeah." She mumbled. The tense atmosphere was back and so Teddy silently hobbled her way to the bathroom to draw a bath so she could shave. She hoped it would start paving the way toward feeling like herself again.

* * *

Teddy didn't often remember her dreams. When she did, they were usually stress dreams, or her subconscious pleading with her to gain some sort of control over her life. But since entering Dauntless, those dreams had ceased. Something about transferring out of Erudite, out from under the scrutiny of intense scholars and into the faction of bravery had given Teddy a sense of liberation.

However, since arriving back after the kidnapping, her dreams shifted. If she wasn't sedated or amidst a drug-induced haze when asleep, she felt herself sinking. It wasn't a free-fall, necessarily, but rather, something pulling her down. It started with her ankles being grabbed. And slowly, the grip became tighter and tighter as it swallowed her up, pulling her further and further into the dark.

She always awoke with a startled gasp, with her body inverted into itself and sometimes with claw marks from her own fingernails etched into her skin. Sometimes her throat felt raw, as though she'd been screaming. But Eric didn't mention anything, so she wasn't going to ask.

She was almost healed and ready for duty when another dream came. It was somehow worse than the others. She saw the blurred faces of the men who'd tortured her, grabbing and yanking at every limb, pulling her into the unknown. She couldn't fight; she couldn't breathe. She squirmed and shouted, roaring at them to stop. But they only laughed at her miserable attempts to free herself. And then she was blinded. Her senses had no affect during this dream and she couldn't rationalize anything.

She woke up to Eric on top of her. In a panic, she tore herself out of his grip, rolling onto the floor. Her bad knee thunked against the edge of the bed and while the pain normally would have had her writhing in pain, her mind was still foggy from both sleep and the nightmare.

Teddy thrashed against the blanket she'd managed to twist herself around in, which caused more anxiety to surge through her. She couldn't breathe; it was all too much. She could still feel their hands…or maybe those were Eric's. And it was with that thought that she thrashed against him, groaning and grunting as she fought his every move.

"Dammit, Teddy! Breathe!" He tried ordering her, hoping that some type of dominance might get through to her.

"Get off! Get off me!" She screeched, now so out of it that she couldn't discern her nightmares from reality. Tears were streaming down her flushed cheeks as she yelled obscenities at him. And very suddenly, there was a burning pinch at her neck before a flood of peace coursed through her veins. Teddy fell limp in Eric's arms as everything started to slow down. She looked up to meet Eric's penetrative stare and felt a calm heat spread through her belly. And then he was cupping her cheek and she was certain she'd never been touched so tenderly.

"You good?"

"Fine." She whispered hoarsely, finally looking away, shifting as she tried calmly to rearrange the blanket, just to give her hands something to do. Eric easily lifted her back onto the bed and it was then that she realized it must have been in the middle of the night. Eric was only wearing thin boxers and his hair was ruffled from sleep. He had bags under his eyes and Teddy realized how exhausting this must be for him. "You look tired." She told him abruptly, unable to help how breathy her voice was. "You should get some sleep."

"So should you." Neither made a point to move. "Are you warm enough?" His question was genuine, which caused Teddy's brows to furrow and her lower lip to jut out in a confused pout.

"Yes." It was a lie, but she wasn't going to say anything. She didn't want to seem more imposing than she already was.

"I've heard you shivering."

"Then why'd you ask?"

"I wanted to see if you'd answer honestly." Was he scowling at her?

"I-I'm always cold." Teddy revealed softly. "Even…even before…everything." At that, Eric abruptly stood up. Wordlessly, he left the bedroom and Teddy feared she'd been too honest. Maybe he didn't like hearing any sort of talk about her kidnapping. However, before she could think about it any longer, Eric wandered back in, two more blankets in his arms. He wrapped one around Teddy's shoulders before moving the duvet back and tucking her in tightly before placing the thicker blanket on top. "Did you just tuck me in?" She blurted out before she could stop it. The peace serum was really kicking in, as she had a slightly dopey smile that she aimed toward the leader.

"What? You want a kiss goodnight, too?" Teddy shook her head.

"Just a bedtime story will do." There was no denying the upturn of the corners of his mouth, even in the moonlit room. Then there was a glimmer of mischief in his eyes and he looked as if he wanted to say something, but thought better of it. It was those expressions that made Teddy wish he'd just say it; whatever was on his mind. But at the same time, she feared what he might say.

"Get some sleep, Teddy." As usual, the door was left open just a hair, where Teddy could see Eric head back to his own room, leaving his door wide open.

* * *

 **Poor Teddy can't seem to catch a break, can she? Thank you all for your lovely reviews and don't hesitate to leave more with any thoughts or concerns.**


	18. Chapter 17

With her ribs mostly healed, Teddy had graduated from the use of the wheelchair to using the crutches. After a meeting with Amity and Erudite to begin on the reconstruction of the homes that had been destroyed in the bombing, Teddy hobbled on back to Eric's apartment. The only reason Teddy had been at the meeting was really for appearance. She and Andre would be indicted sometime next week, the leaders really just needed her face.

She was happy to not be needed for something as simple as lunch, however. The other leaders had headed to the cafeteria while all Teddy wanted was a nap. The doctors were slowly weaning her off the medication, but the doses she still received still made her groggy. Shauna had tried to convince Teddy to join them to get food, if even for a little while. But Teddy was adamant about getting that nap. So she hobbled through the dark corridors, heading back to Eric's apartment.

"So you fuck up and you still get to be leader?" She passed a man in the hall. He'd been on Eric's team during the whole uprising. Teddy had seen him in passing on more than one occasion. He seemed nice enough, quiet and eager to please. But now, with furrowed brows and bags under his eyes, it was clear he wasn't thinking straight.

"Go home, Evan." Teddy told him quietly, trying to get past him.

"Which one?" The young man asked, moving to block her way. "The one that got blown up or the shitty room they assigned me to after _you fucked up_?" Teddy's jaw clenched at his words, her throat filling with emotion over the grief she'd caused her faction. "And they still fucking promote you. Did you spread your legs before or after the uprising?"

"You wanna repeat that, soldier?" A cold voice hissed through the shadows. Teddy and Evan both turned to see Eric having silently crept up behind the young woman. He stood stoically, posture straight with his arms behind his back. His jaw was squared as he sneered down his nose at the smaller man. Evan gulped at the menacing leader, his eyes bouncing back and forth between Teddy and Eric.

"She-uh…" He trailed off by clearing his throat in obvious regret. Not at his words, but by being caught.

"You think you can disrespect your new leader?" Eric's grey eyes narrowed fiercely and he stalked forward slowly. "You think you can do better?"

"I-I-I-."

"You think you can make it past my training?" Evan gulped loudly. "You think you would last more than a day under torture and interrogation? You think you could keep your mouth shut long enough to come back?" Still, the other man remained silent. "Should we put that to the test?" By this point, Eric was staring Evan down, chest to chest and it appeared that Evan might have an aneurysm at any moment, but Eric was not backing down. "Or will you respect her?" When he didn't answer quickly enough, Eric threw him up against the wall.

"I'll-I'll respect her!"

"Why?" Teddy watched Eric play with Evan like a lion with his prey. It was almost taunting and she couldn't look away.

"Because…she-she's my leader." Eric threw his fist into the man's face and Teddy could hear the crunch of bone being broken. Evan's exclamation rang on deaf ears.

"You'll respect her because she has _earned_ your respect." Eric growled cruelly. Evan nodded several times in rapid succession before he sank to the floor and Eric moved back toward Teddy. Her eyes never left his form as he stood before her. "Let's get some food."

He walked slowly for her benefit as they headed back to the apartment in silence. Teddy had several thoughts flooding her mind, each running on a different train of thought that lead to several more. But she kept her mouth shut. Eric was aware of the turmoil rampaging inside her head, clearly seeing them with each expression passing over her eyes. She thought she kept a good poker face and it was almost endearing to him.

"Stop thinking so much." He told her as he started heating up some leftovers from last night's meal. "He was wrong."

"He wasn't-."

"He was wrong, Teddy." Eric insisted darkly. "You are not the cause for what happened that night. What happened was not under your control."

"None of it is." Teddy muttered, causing Eric to furrow his brows. "I couldn't control any of it. I still can't." There was a tick in her jaw as she thought about the nightmares that left her exhausted and shaky nearly every morning. "How can I be a leader if I can't control any of this?"

"You _take_ control of it." Eric insisted.

"How? How can I take control of anything if every time I walk down the hall, someone's there to undermine my authority? How am I supposed to take control if I always need someone to rescue me?" While grateful for Eric's constant presence, it could also come to be an issue during moments like these. "I'm not going to thank you for that. I could have handled it."

"Yeah, I saw that." Eric jutted out his bottom lip mockingly. "Glaring at him seemed very effective."

"You seem to think it works for you." Teddy bit back. Eric couldn't help but smirk at her snark.

"I handled it because you're a leader as well, now." He was back to being serious. "No one should be talking to you like that."

"You think I couldn't have handled it?" He looked at her, face devoid of any emotion.

"No." There was a long pause. "But you've been stuck inside your head since we got you back." Eric seemed to be the only one who acknowledged that they'd gotten her. Everyone else phrased it as, 'since she came back', as if she'd been away on holiday. But his words still gave Teddy's mouth a bad taste. "No one blames you. But you need to remember that you're Dauntless. You're not Erudite anymore."

"Then why do you keep handling my shit?" Eric wet his lips to speak, but nothing came out. "What do you think is gonna happen when you're not there?" A wild expression passed over Eric and if Teddy had blinked, she might have missed it. But it was there, a mixture of rage, grief and frustration that Teddy was trying to decipher.

"That's up for you to decide." But Teddy didn't know which question he was answering.

* * *

 **I know, this is a little short, especially after my brief hiatus. I was dealing with finals. But I'm done for the semester, so yay! This is one of my fave chapters. What do you all think of Eric here?**


	19. Chapter 18

The new leaders were announced in front of all of Dauntless. Andre stood proudly next to Max while Teddy made her way to the platform with a slight limp, the others patiently waiting for her. It would still be another while before she was completely healed and regained full mobility, but she was grateful to be able to move around without assistance.

Not only were the new leaders indicted with a moving speech and cheers from their fellow soldiers, but Teddy was awarded a medal for all she'd been through, and that earned more cheers, filling the compound with a buzzing energy that Teddy still couldn't quite feel. She wondered if she'd feel anything positive again.

There was to be a Leadership dinner later on, where the leaders of the other factions would also join in celebration of Teddy and Andre's promotion. Teddy figured there would be quite a few formalities she'd have to adhere to now that she'd risen so far up. Tending to the other leaders' approval was one of them. Amy and Zoe were going as well and had taken Teddy shopping for a dress for the occasion. Teddy hadn't worn anything but trousers since her transfer, but the sisters had all but drooled over the mesh material, so she'd bought it.

"I have something for you." Eric muttered on their way out of the Pit. She thought he was leading them back to his apartment so they could get ready for the dinner. Teddy still didn't know when she'd get her new room assignment, and briefly wondered if she'd get as nice of an apartment as Eric. Then again, she wasn't quite certain she wanted her own apartment. Sharing a living space had made things quite easy for her. There was a sense of calm that washed over her every time she opened the door to come home. Maybe it was the idea that someone was watching out for her. Or maybe it was just because it was Eric.

"I don't like surprises." The brunette murmured, unsure of where they were going. She got the feeling that Eric wasn't too keen on them either, and didn't seem like much of a gift-giver. The blond only smirked, a dark glint in his eye that Teddy was unsure about. He lead her through a maze of tunnels and she vaguely recognized them as part of the few obstacle courses she and the other candidates had been made to run through a few times during their Leadership training. "Where are we going?" They were deep underground now, the temperature significantly cooler and water dripping from the walls. Even her voice echoed and she was surprised to find herself quite nervous. "Eric?"

"I need you to trust me." For the first time since being back, Teddy was able to hold his gaze for longer than just a few moments. Then she nodded once and Eric twisted the old key, and the door opened with a loud groan. The air was thick and sweltering, making it almost difficult to breathe. The plumbing seemed to be broken, as constant streams of water trickled down to the concrete floor. And then Eric flipped the switch, the fluorescent light buzzing on, revealing a familiar being shackled to a chair in the middle of the room.

Teddy's posture stiffened so quickly, Eric was surprised he didn't hear each of her vertebra pop. In a knee-jerk reaction, she took one uneasy step backward, stopped only by Eric's outstretched arm. She turned to meet his gaze, apprehension flooding her wide eyes. But he seemed utterly sure of himself.

"What-? What's he doing here?" Vowing to a therapist that she'd kill the men who'd hurt her was one thing. But seeing one of them shackled down was another. She was never one to break her promises, but flashes of pain and humiliation surged through her, reminding her that she hadn't been strong enough to defend herself. Her breathing changed and Eric was aware of every movement; every twitch and clench in her body.

"Max and Shauna got the necessary information out of him." Eric told her. "We're putting together a team to find the others near Amity and once we find them, you'll be ready for the interrogation." She gulped harshly. "But he…well, you can do whatever you want to him." Her brows furrowed.

"I-I-I thought-."

"It's like your fear landscape, Teddy." She hadn't registered until just now how calm and gentle his tone was. "You either control yourself or fight your way through it." He gestured to the unconscious man. "What's it gonna be?"

"Eric, this-." She shook her head, trying to curl into herself as she backed away toward the door.

"No, none of that." He grasped her shoulders and brought her in close to face him. "You need to stop hiding from me. I _know_ you, Teddy, stop holding back." His grip loosened and his hands trailed up to caress her neck. "I know you have to hide from them. They don't understand. They will _never_ understand. But you don't have to hide from me. It's you and me, Teddy. You and me. We're the same." His hands reached up even further to cup her cheeks, one hand brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. His eyes were searching hers, seeing straight through her, as they always seemed to. His words were so intent and his eyes matched that, the gray irises dancing with honesty and…was it longing?

Teddy looked back at the shackled man. He made a few groaning sounds before finally coming to, looking at the two young leaders in confusion until his memories caught up to him. Then he was afraid.

"You're a leader of Dauntless, Teddy. Show him what happens to people who fuck with you." Teddy's eyes never left the man's.

"Did you do that?" She nodded toward his swollen face.

"I…had to restrain myself." He admitted with a tick in his jaw. "He took something that didn't belong to him and I showed him the consequences." But that certainly got Teddy's attention. She opened her mouth to speak, but she stopped herself until she found the words.

"I'm still-?" She cleared her throat. "You still want me?" Eric frowned at her hesitant question. His stomach knotted unpleasantly at her doubtfulness. "Even after they-?" Her lips twisted into a snarl. "And I haven't been-." She huffed and then looked at the prisoner, but Eric brought her attention back to him.

"You are mine." He growled, staring intently at her. "You will _always_ be mine. So stop fucking hiding, Teddy. You don't have to hide in front of me." He repeated intently. And she believed him. The feeling of relief surged through her, erupting with a warmth that spread from her toes to the crown of her head.

"I won't be able to stop." She breathed out, suddenly fearful of what she knew she was capable of. His eyes lit up with something akin to delight.

"Then don't." And with that, Teddy felt her body fully relax for the first time in what felt like years. Then she turned back to the man and Eric watched in fascination as her green eyes changed from hesitation to a gleaming predatory glint. She took a few strides toward the man before crouching before him, cocking her head to meet his line of sight and told him very calmly,

"I do believe that you owe me an apology."

* * *

 **As always, let me know what you think! :)**


	20. Chapter 19

Teddy had taken her sweet time with the man. She'd used the knife she had on her at all times, she'd gotten creative with her belt and the man's shoe laces and had even used the shackles to her advantage, all the while reveling in the man's cries of terror and agony. Finally, after three hours of torture, Teddy had looked back at Eric with an unspoken question. He'd nodded once, knowing how much she needed it. And it was with that nod that Teddy slowly slit the man's throat. It was just deep enough that he would bleed out, but it gave Teddy almost two minutes for her to watch hungrily as the light faded from his eyes. And when he was finally gone, she let his body drop to the floor before turning back to Eric, who was watching her with a feral grin that had heat pooling in her belly.

It was that yearning for him that she was so familiar with. But, like everything else, she'd always shoved it deep into the bottom of her heart; she was well practiced in ignoring her darkest desires. But if he wanted her to reveal everything she was to him, then she would. Everything was out in the open now.

With three long strides, she was before him, her chest against his as her bloodied hands reached for his face, pulling him toward her. Their mouths met in a fury, teeth clashing and biting. He'd been craving her for so long; their union right before her kidnapping had barely satisfied him. But he knew, after all she'd been through, that she had to be the one to come to him. And all he'd had to do was show her that she didn't have to hide.

"Teddy, not-." He groaned out when her mouth moved to his neck.

"I can't wait." Her voice was throaty with lust as she scraped her teeth down his neck and sucked on the hollow of his collarbone. She hadn't known the taste of copper and salt could be so sweet. She was clutching the collar of his vest now, trying to bring him closer. Her skin was burning and only he could soothe it. "Eric," his hands were barely at her waist and it wasn't enough. "Eric, I can't stop." Her eyes remained closed as her head tilted up toward him, her face speckled with dried blood from the torture she'd inflicted upon the Factionless rebel.

Her gray shirt was soaked down the front with blood and the sticky liquid had trickled down her arms. It had gotten in her hair and her hands had transferred it to Eric's face and neck. There was even a rusty hue around her mouth from where she'd bit and sucked at him. She looked an utter mess and Eric wished she'd let him join her. Maybe next time.

"Teddy," his voice was low, a warning. He wouldn't be able to stop if she continued this way.

"Eric, I need you." Before he knew it, his mouth was devouring hers and she'd managed to shove him against the stone wall with a firm thud. Then his vest was gone and shortly after, his shirt. He could feel the sticky substance from Teddy's shirt transferring to his skin, the slickness of it feeding his frenzy. But then he was ripping said shirt apart, eager to get the offending item out of his way. He ran his fingers through her hair before pulling tightly, leaving her neck vulnerable to his greedy mouth.

She moaned as he bit firmly at the juncture of her neck and shoulder, leaving a similar mark to the one he'd left last time. Her nails dug into his skin as she clawed at him, needing him closer. His hands yanked her hair even further as her hands moved to unbuckle his trousers. He'd been holding himself back ever since she'd started the torture on the rebel. He was painfully hard as she rubbed his erection. With bruising force, he switched their positions, one hand on her waist and the other slipping down her pants.

"So fucking wet." He mumbled as their lips met once more.

"Don't tease." She returned through a gasp. He obliged, swiftly pulling her pants down, panties and all. She hurriedly kicked them off before he quickly lifted her, entering her with a fluid snap of his hips. They moaned loudly at how ready she was for him. Their hips met thrust for thrust, roughly grinding against each other. Teddy continued clawing at his back, sucking at his neck as he squeezed her thighs in a frenzied rhythm. His grip was bruising and when their lips met again, it was as if they were trying to devour each other.

Teddy's orgasm was a combination of both intense pleasure and pain. Eric hit just the right spot with such force that she unraveled with an echoing shriek of his name. And then he kept going. Her legs tightened around his waist, but she could no longer meet his thrusts, offering only pathetic mewls as the coil began tightening again. She buried her head in his neck as he moved to slam her down onto the table, pushing her legs further up, hitting even deeper than before. A strangled sound erupted from Teddy's mouth as her head fell back. The pleasure was almost unbearable, but she missed his sweaty body pressed up against hers.

She came with another scream, crying out his name once more as she gripped the edge of the table as he thrusts became just as erratic as his breathing. And then he let out one final, guttural moan as he finally came. Teddy managed to roll her hips to help him ride out his orgasm before he slumped forward, remaining inside her as his face rested just underneath her breasts. His hot breath sent shivers up her spine and she found one hand in his hair, nails raking across his scalp. One of his own hands reached up, tweaking ever so gently at the barbell in one of her nipples. The stimulation was almost too much for her and she could feel Eric starting to grow hard again.

"Do we have to go to the dinner?" He jutted his hips once and she nearly cried out.

"You need time to recover." He pulled out, making her shiver. Then he brought her into a sitting position and cradled her face, kissing her softly, leaving her longing for more. "And after, you'll come back to the apartment and I'll fuck you for as long as you want." His words caused Teddy to almost forget about the soreness between her legs. "But first, we need to get you cleaned up. Because you are a very dirty girl."

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay, some shit went down in my personal life and I had to sort it out. As always, let me know what you think. :)**


	21. Chapter 20

They showered separately. Teddy knew that if they were together under the stream of hot water, both of them soaking wet, she wouldn't be able to keep her hands to herself. She didn't think Eric would mind, but they needed to look presentable for the Leadership dinner and they only had so much time now that they'd spent so much of it on their 'date'. Though her pussy felt raw and sensitive from their escapade, she ached more at the absence of him. Since when had she become so insatiable?

She blow-dried her hair into its natural, wavy state and applied enough makeup to cover her scars and to also accentuate the features that hadn't been mollified by her kidnapping. And then she donned the maroon dress that her girlfriends had so readily swooned over and there was a lingering hope that Eric might like it, too. Teddy shook those thoughts away. Eric probably wasn't one to think twice about female attire; she recalled him hating her makeup that first night he'd fucked her. But right now, she liked the way she looked and even though the dynamic between she and Eric had shifted once more, she certainly wasn't dressing up for him.

But when Eric came out of his room, looking sharper than ever, Teddy felt entirely underdressed, even in the floor-length dress. Eric had slicked his hair to perfection and wore a black button-down with pressed trousers that emphasized his strong thighs. His coat was sleek and the collar pulled up, highlighting his chiseled face. The whiff of cologne only added to his ensemble and Teddy looked down at her own garment and the flats she had to wear because heels were still too hard on her knee. She was suddenly acutely aware of all her flaws, especially that her lipstick was probably already smudged; it was downright irritating how perfect Eric managed to look at all times.

But the way he looked at her had her flushing so hot, she thought she might be set aflame. He advanced toward her slowly, eyes dark as they slowly travelled up and down her form. Then a hand rose to trace a scar on her shoulder that was easily shown due to her off-the-shoulder cap sleeves. And when Eric's soft touch trickled across her collarbone, she couldn't help the shudder that erupted, sending gooseflesh down the skin exposed from the deep neckline.

"Are you ready?" His voice was hoarse before he cleared his throat and Teddy couldn't help the flush of pleasure at knowing she had just as much a physical effect on him as he did her.

"Do we have to go?" She whispered, toying with the hem of his pressed shirt, not daring to look up at him until she heard a chuckle. He was smirking at her.

"We have to work before we can play, Teddy." He admonished softly, as if teasing her. And then, his hand was at her nape, pulling her closer so he could kiss her. It was deep and erotic and incredibly sensual, but before Teddy could do anything to ensnare him further, he pulled back. "So don't tempt me, princess." His blown pupils gave him away, but Teddy knew they had to leave the apartment. They needed to at least make an appearance, shake hands with the right people and make sure Jeanine Matthews was happy. It was the politics that Eric had mastered and Teddy was expected to perfect.

"Ah, Eric."

"Jeanine." Eric straightened to his full height, hands clasped behind his back. Neither woman missed the change in stature.

"And…Teddy, the woman everyone's been talking about." Jeanine Matthews was good at politics, Teddy had to give her that. The blonde woman made it look and sound like Teddy and Eric had approached her instead of the other way around. As Jeanine looked down at the younger woman, her blue eyes narrowed in recognition. "Of course, you've changed your name since I last saw you. You Dauntless have an affinity for that."

 _You Dauntless_. Her smile seemed forced, as if she knew she needed the faction in order get her way and she detested the fact.

"I'm a different person now that I've transferred." Teddy told the blonde woman simply. "It seemed appropriate."

"Mm, I'm sure. Just as I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you in the future, with your new position. I'll give your father your regards, shall I?"

"Please." It was a clear dismissal from the Erudite leader and Teddy felt Eric's warm hand guiding her toward their seats. "Is she angry that she didn't have a say in Dauntless Leadership this time around?" Eric didn't meet her eyes, but he gave her a small smirk to let her know he'd heard her.

"Probably more so that you didn't stay in Erudite." That had her craning her neck to face him with a lifted brow. "But I'm sure she sees now that you wouldn't have stayed there for very long." Whatever he meant by that, Teddy knew he wouldn't elaborate, though she knew it wasn't anything malicious. So she kept quiet about it.

Teddy and Andre were congratulated by everyone in attendance. Max made a drunken speech that had Eric rolling his eyes and huffing quietly by Teddy's side, who couldn't help but quietly chuckle every time he did so. Zoe and Amy kept trying to get Teddy to dance, to which she continuously declined, blaming her knee. However, she was quickly swept off her feet by Mathias, who twirled her around in his arms as she clung on for dear life. Eric didn't protest, but kept a sharp eye on Teddy at all times, watching with deference as a flushed smile swept across her lips from time to time.

It seemed as if a heavy burden had been removed from her shoulders. Eric took great pride in attributing to that. He'd seen how similar they were from the start of her initiation. He could see the monster inside of her that she so desperately hid from the world because he had been in the same situation only a few years previous. He, too, had had a mentor, one of the older, now-retired leaders, to teach him not to be afraid of what lay below the surface of his mind and heart. And while that leader had not had the same dark, twisted thoughts that Eric and Teddy shared, Eric had been taught to not hold back who he was. That soon enough, he would be respected and admired for it. And so it seemed fitting that Eric should teach Teddy to not hold back, either. And that he respected and admired her for it, for the control she had and the smooth, intelligent way she went about displaying herself. And certainly, he revered her even further when she lost all sense of control; when she showed him who she truly was. It made him want to show her that part of himself as well.

"Are you ready to go?" After Teddy had sat back down next to him, Eric hadn't kept his hands to himself. His fingers were either twirling around her thick hair or tracing the silky material of her sleeve. He'd even, at one point, had his hand squeezing so far up her thigh, she thought she might come undone right then and there. So Teddy didn't say anything as they stood and quietly left.

And as soon as they were back inside the apartment, Eric wasted no time in forcing Teddy up against the door, their teeth clashing as their mouths met in a desperate hunger. Teddy's hands were quick as they slipped off Eric's coat and made quick work of the buttons. Eric chuckled at how patient she was being with his shirt.

"Didn't know you had it in you," he mentioned huskily before attacking her neck.

"I'd like to see you in it again." She admitted with a sharp inhale as he sucked at her pulse point.

"I'd like to see you in this dress again." He growled as he pulled it off her shoulders and watched it slip down her body, bunching at her ankles. "Just so I can take it off again." As soon as the garment hit the floor, Eric scooped her up in his arms, her legs wrapping eagerly around his waist as she bit and sucked at the blocks running down his neck. Once in the bedroom, he dropped her on the bed and hovered over her, never wanting to stop kissing her, craving that sweet taste. But he knew from experience she would be sweeter if he travelled lower.

She hadn't worn a bra tonight and as much as he admired the view, Eric had a more enticing destination in mind. He tweaked both pierced nipples before teasing her with a quick flick of his pierced tongue to each before wandering lower, placing hot open-mouthed kisses down her stomach and hips before quickly ripping the silky underwear down her legs and gripped her thighs and spreading them. She was already soaking wet, entirely ready for him. Eric took further pride in the effect he had on her.

He dove in to her pussy wholeheartedly, licking and sucking as though he would the juiciest peach, those sweet little moans of hers only edging him on. She squirmed in pleasure, writhing with each caress of his tongue, but he held her in place. His arms resilient as they wound around her thighs, his grip on them strong enough to keep her spread wide for him as he devoured her.

"Fuck! Eric, don't stop!" The tight hold she had on his hair had him grunting into her sopping cunt, but he didn't admonish her for it. If anything, it only sent more shocks of pleasure straight down to his throbbing member. He needed to be inside of her. "Please, Eric!"

"Well, since you've been so good." He husked out, taking her swollen clit between his lips and sucking hard. She came with a breathless cry, thighs tightening around his face as she curled into herself before falling back onto the pillows, her legs jerking with each rhythmic stroke of Eric's tongue. He lapped up every bit of her essence; she was the dessert that they'd skipped in order to partake in these more enjoyable activities.

Eric placed several wet kisses along her thighs before crawling back up over her, allowing her to catch her breath before he kissed her again. Their mouths fused together as she tasted herself on his tongue. Her hands, once cradling his face, travelled down his torso, muscles rippling as she went, and her nimble fingers began working on the fasten of his trousers. Off they went and he slipped out of them as she hitched her leg around his waist to bring him closer.

"Flip over." He commanded throatily, raising himself to give her room. But instead, she just stared at him and hunched her shoulders. Was this how she wanted to play? Eric went to roll her over in a somewhat aggressive manner, but she fought him on it.

"No, don't-!" She clamped her mouth shut and stayed on her back.

"What? Don't like that position?" He was not one for compromise in bed, even with Teddy.

"No, I don't…" She bit her lip and familiar wave of shame washed over them both. "I don't want you to see them."

"See what?" He stared down at her keenly.

"The scars…from when they-they…" Teddy was stabbed with an icy sensation that made it hard to breathe. Once again, she couldn't decipher Eric's expression and she wanted nothing more than to sink into the ground. "I'm sorry, I'll go now." She mumbled quickly as she tried to spring from the bed, but Eric quickly caught her.

"What did I tell you about hiding?" He growled out as he flipped her onto her belly. He was so forceful in his movements that her breath completely left her. And then he was straddling her, his erection pressing against the soft swell of her ass. "What did I tell you about hiding?" He echoed, his breath heavy against her neck.

"Not to." Teddy whimpered.

"You don't have to hide from me, Teddy." His fingers began tracing the raised skin of her scars so carefully and gently she was certain she was imagining it. "Stop fucking hiding from me, I know how tiring it is." His whisper struck her with an emotion she was unfamiliar with. He replaced his fingers with his tongue, following the thick lines the whips had left behind. And at the tip of ever scar, he left a little nibble. And then he was inside her, and with every delicious stroke, he whispered things she didn't know he was capable of. "I told you before and I'll tell you again. I'll say it however many times you need to hear it. You're fucking perfect, Teddy. Scars don't change that." He fit so perfectly inside her and the angle at which he was rutting against her had her seeing stars. "Scars show your survival, they show…your strength." His breathing was growing more and more shallow. "God, you're fucking perfect." He wrapped a hand around her neck, pulling her back to kiss her again, swallowing her soft mewls. "You gonna come, princess?"

"Yes!" She whined, slumping forward.

"Then what are you waiting for?" He slowed down, thrusting deep and hard only twice before she broke, her thighs quivering around him. The clenching of her walls gave Eric his own release, their groans echoing throughout the room as they embraced the ecstasy coursing through their bodies as they caught their breath. Eric slumped to Teddy's side, running a hand through her long hair several times to get her attention. She eyed him sleepily and he couldn't help but smirk at her rosy expression. "You'll stay here tonight." He wasn't having her leave again, even if the only place she could go was across the hall.

"Ok." She whispered, slowly closing her eyes at his indulgent touch. And he was falling asleep soon after.

* * *

 **So...who thinks they have an idea on what Teddy's birth name was? Before she transferred? I'll give you a hint, it's not the one she had in Sunday Morning ;)**

 **You guys are so great, thank you for all your comments and reviews and even your messages about how much you're enjoying this, it really means a lot to me 3**


	22. Chapter 21

Teddy had no desire to meet with Jeanine. But Max had told her that it was pertinent that she and Andre meet with the main leader of Erudite. Another factor about the meeting that had Teddy feeling so off about it was that it was to be kept fairly low key. Only the leaders of Dauntless knew about it and Teddy knew it had nothing to do with the patrols or even about the renegades who'd organized her kidnapping.

She and Andre took the train to Erudite, as apparently the blonde leader had more important things to do than leave her precious faction for the afternoon, if only to meet with the two newest leaders of Dauntless for an hour or so. People stared as the two newest leaders of Dauntless marched through the sea of blue, up to the office that they'd been directed toward. There was a young woman sitting at a desk, typing away, only stopping when Teddy and Andre stopped before the desk.

"I'll let Jeanine know you've arrived." She sent them a forced smile that had Teddy cringing. She looked around the hallway as the secretary spoke into the intercom, wondering what her life would have been like had she opted to remain in her birth-faction. She had always been considerably bright, even by Erudite's standards. What would she have been working toward, had she stayed? She certainly wouldn't have been part of the Leadership program, that's for sure. Before Dauntless, positions of power had never interested her. Teddy had once desired to be a psychologist, like her father, but then her demons had started to take over and had wondered if she'd be a good teacher, like her mother. That perhaps, if she kept her head down and tried to stay out of trouble, she just might end up happy. But she'd never felt entirely comfortable in blue.

And she'd made her choice at the Choosing Ceremony just less than a year ago now, unable to see what the future held. That lack of control had almost frightened Teddy into staying in Erudite, but she'd found just a moment of bravery that had altered her entire life. In Dauntless, she didn't have to worry about keeping a low profile. Ranking first and then being chosen by Eric for not only the Leadership position, but to be in his life. Teddy couldn't have guessed that this is where she'd end up. And she still had a lot more coming, she knew.

"Teddy, Andre, please come in." Jeanine's stiff voice broke Teddy out of her reverie and the two newest leaders followed the older woman into a large room that overlooked the city. "I'm glad you two were able to come." Teddy and Andre both quirked eyebrows at this, all of them knowing there hadn't exactly been a choice. "I need to make you aware of something that is extremely imperative to us as a society. I need to know that I can trust you." Her voice had Teddy on edge and she could feel a headache beginning to form at the top of her head. The doctors had officially weaned her off the pain medication and the only lingering ache was in her head. Nevertheless, she was apt to pay attention.

"We are the protectors of our society, Miss Matthews." Andre told the woman. "There should be no reason not to trust us." And then Jeanine was staring at Teddy, seeing right through her. Teddy should have known that the blonde woman knew all about her, that even though she'd transferred, there was probably a thick file with any necessary information on her. All the tests and evaluations had been her father's doing and he was never one to throw out his work.

"Whatever the city needs of us, we'll be sure to see it happen." Teddy attested with a firm nod. That seemed to appease the older woman.

"Good, I'm glad to have two more people of such dedication and intelligence on board. We need every able person we can get." It was with that, that Jeanine stood and peered out the window. "I'm sure you've heard the rumors. And I'm here to tell you that they're true." She looked back at the younger leaders, as if she'd practiced this monologue before the meeting. "Divergents are real. And they're a threat we must dispose of."

* * *

Teddy and Andre listened with rapt attention as the leader of Erudite explained the truth behind Divergents and why they were a menace to society; that they had to be eradicated in order to ensure their survival. Jeanine enlightened the Dauntless pair that since Divergents could not be controlled nor understood, and it was in that that they were a threat. That, and the Abnegation governing council that was harboring said individuals. Jeanine wanted to overthrow them all.

"I need to know that you're with me." It occurred to Teddy that this was why Jeanine had been involved in Dauntless' leadership the past few years and why she'd been so frustrated at not being allowed to influence the program this time around. Although, it occurred to Teddy that she had perhaps been chosen for the position for this exact purpose. After all, what did she know about the process, other than that the program consisted of first-rankers.

It was in that moment that Teddy realized that Eric had been placed in Dauntless for a purpose. She knew that, like her, Eric had originated from Erudite. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was one. Every action he made was carefully and meticulously planned out, including the one in choosing her for the program. Without Jeanine's influence this time around, had Teddy been picked for her skill, or for some other purpose?

Regardless of whatever purpose Eric had chosen her, this was something new to Teddy. All her life, Divergents had been mere urban legends. And now she was assigned to hunt them down. Her murderous talents would be put to use and while Teddy was fairly adept at hiding her emotions, she couldn't deny that something new was fairly exciting to her.

"One thing." Teddy leaned forward. Jeanine quirked a brow at the younger woman's uninterested tone. "We've already had someone blaming society's failures on a group of people. Granted, that man was a dictator and this group of people was much larger than these Divergents." She wondered how far she could get with being so flippant. "It didn't work out so well for him and it sent the world in to a world war that killed millions." Andre furrowed his brows, wondering if his peer would get away with comparing Jeanine's idea to that of Hitler's. "I suggest you rephrase your monologue." That sentence had Andre withdrawing into himself, sending subtle glances to Teddy as if she'd lost it.

"And what would you suggest?" Jeanine tested her.

"You mentioned they're a menace to society," the blonde nodded. "How?"

"They can't be controlled." It was almost ironic just how controlled Jeanine's tone was. Teddy almost laughed, but she kept herself in check with a small smirk.

"I know that we strive for control." Teddy acknowledged. "But human nature is uncontrollable." There was a pause. "We're with you. Know that. I know that Dauntless will do everything in its power to help you eliminate such a threat." Jeanine visibly relaxed at that and Teddy briefly wondered what the older leader would have done if she'd refused.

"How do I know I can trust you?" It was clear she was talking directly to Teddy now and not Andre.

"Miss Matthews, I'm sure you'll find in my file everything you need to know about my desire for control." All the Erudite leader did was quirk a delicate brow at their shared trait. "But if that isn't enough for you, perhaps you can take it up with the renegade Factionless who kidnapped and tortured me for information. I hear they want something from you anyway." There was a brief moment where Jeanine's lips parted, as if she wanted to retaliate to Teddy's facetious tone. But she stopped herself because she knew the younger Dauntless leader was right. After ten days of torture, Teddy still hadn't divulged Dauntless or other government secrets. At least, not anything she'd already been briefed on during her training.

"I'll be glad to have you on board." The blonde leader finally said with another one of her forced smiles. It was a clear dismissal and they all stood.

"But I would suggest on rephrasing your statements. I don't think it's necessarily what the people will do, Miss Matthews, it's what their divergence will make of human nature."

"Eloquently put, Teddy."

"Don't sound so surprised, Miss Matthews. I know you know everything about me."

* * *

 **So, I've already posted on tumblr and I received the second message accusing me of plagiarising the story 'Red', which can be found here on and on AO3. If anyone notices the similarities, please let me know. It is not my intention to steal work and attempt to take credit for it. On the other hand, I've received such positive reviews on this from both sites, but will of course take this seriously and will not hesitate to take it down if someone can explain to me where the similarities lie.**

 **That being said, let me know your opinions, thoughts and concerns. I yearn for your feedback to know where this story stands. Thank you**


	23. Chapter 22

Later that evening, Teddy's headache had only grown worse. She'd taken some medicine, which had dulled the throb, but she could still feel it at the top of her skull. She wanted nothing more than to go to bed, but Eric wasn't home yet, so she opted to search for him to see what he was up to. Instead, she found Mathias talking with Four in the control room. She greeted them both and they nodded in acknowledgement. She was silent as she stared at one screen in particular. It was the renegade they'd caught just three hours previous. He was sitting on his own, shackled to the floor and table, waiting for the leaders of Dauntless to make a move. No one had told her that another one been found but Teddy knew something was up when a few of the guards had dropped their voices to whispers when she'd walked past. She wondered how some could underestimate her deductive reasoning.

"Teddy, you shouldn't-." Mathias started, but then shut up at seeing the dark look on her face. He looked at Four and they both sighed. "Zeke told me that they had to stop Eric from killing him. He was the only one they were able to apprehend. They're waiting for Candor to send a truth serum." There was a brief pause while Teddy looked back at the screen.

"They don't need a truth serum." And with that, she started to head out of the room.

"Teddy, where are you going?" Four's tone was worried.

"I'm going to exercise my authority." And then she headed round the corner and was gone.

"You have to tell him." Mathias' eyes were wide, knowing his friend was just barely hanging on to sanity by a thread, though he didn't know it went much deeper than that.

"I'm not telling him, he'll kill me." Four protested.

"What makes you think he won't kill me?" Both men were silent. "She's gonna kill that guy."

"I wouldn't blame her."

* * *

As one of the leaders of Dauntless, Teddy had keys to every cell in the compound. It was easy to turn the knobs and then tighten up the deadbolts once she entered the prisoner's room.

"The men must appreciate what you have to offer for them to promote you so far up." Even chained up, the Factionless man still had his wits about him.

"Yes." Teddy simpered, not letting his words affect her. "I'm very good at what I do."

"Hmm, yes, I remember having a lot of fun with you." The man purred back. He looked for a flash of anything to detract from the knowing look she gave him. But her green eyes still held that glint of mischief in them and truly, it absolutely terrified him.

"You and many other men." She allowed.

"Did Eric let you back into his bed after that?" He tried smirking, but it turned into a grimace when her smile grew.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"You won't be smiling like that for long, _princess_!" He spat, her attitude unnerving him. "They're coming for me. And when they do, it won't be pretty."

"Well, I never thought any of you were very pretty, so…" She trailed off and heard a door softly shut. She knew someone was watching them through the two-way mirror.

"You were pretty." The man allowed. "Before we got to you."

"I knew there had to be a reason you didn't go after Andre." The man choked out a laugh.

"You've got nasty little scars everywhere now." He took his time in observing her.

"True. But I'm still alive aren't I?" The man clenched his jaw and it made Teddy's smile grow to the likes of a Cheshire cat with the new information. "You must be terribly annoyed by that."

"Guess you just can't take orders, can you?" He gave a scoff. "Well, just from some men." She gave a smirk.

"Just from some men." She repeated with a single nod. "And now, you're going to take orders from me."

"I'm not telling you shit." He spat, smiling as he repeated her words from when she was tied up in front of them. She gave him a soft smile and nodded.

"You were pretty creative in trying to extract information from me, I'll give you that."

"Can't take all the credit." He shrugged modestly.

"No, you don't strike me as the man with the plan." He frowned at that. "So, I'll tell you what, you give me what I want and I-I promise…not to be as mean as Eric was." She nodded empathetically to his bruised and bloodied face. "And if you don't tell me what I want to hear, you'll find that I am much more creative than your man with a plan. And I don't need nine other people to help me." Her tone was dark and dangerous by the time she had finished and was rewarded by a heavy swallow from the man. The look on her face made him believe every word and the glint in her eye had gone from mischievous to sinister. But still, he'd made a vow to his boss. He wouldn't give anything away.

"I'm not telling you shit." Her smile grew and he was almost blinded by how dazzling it was, he was the bug to her venus fly-trap.

"I'm glad you said that. Because now I'm going to have a lot of fun." She easily slid across the table and twisted the man's arms back and flipped him around as he fell out of his seat onto his belly. She had one foot on the ground for leverage and another on the man's back as she pulled his arms further. "This seems like a familiar position." She crooned into his ear. "Although I think the roles were reversed." She pretended to think. "How do you like it now?"

"I like 'em feisty." With a swift clomp to his shoulder, he screamed, as the joint was dislocated.

"I think I'm too feisty for you." She pulled on the chains some more and he was panting hard at the pain. "Now, are you going to tell me where the rest of your band of merry men are? Or do I get to keep having fun?"

"You're psychotic!" He roared. "Did we beat the humanity out of you or something?" Teddy gave another smile.

"That's assuming I had any left in me." There was another crack and scream as Teddy broke his elbow. "Now, I can keep up with this arm, or I can move to the next. Which would you prefer?"

"I'm not telling you shit!" With a heavy sigh, Teddy pounded her foot down on his right forearm, releasing the loudest crack yet as he roared out in agony.

"You know, I think I'm starting to see why you all got off on this." Teddy leaned down to his level on the floor, where he had begun to sob. "The power up here really is quite riveting."

"We didn't do half this shit to you, you bitch!" Teddy let out a bark of laughter as she brought him up to his knees. She whipped her knife out of her boot and held it up to his neck.

"Oh, no? I thought you beat the humanity out of me?" He whimpered as she yanked on his greasy hair. "Now, I can keep going. Or you can tell me what I want to know. I'll even add a third option. If you don't talk, then we obviously have no use for you, right? We won't bother keeping you for ten days trying to beat information out of you. Instead, I'll slice your throat open. Right here. Right now. I will walk out of this room with your blood on my hands and I will smile." She hissed venomously.

"Ok! Ok! I'll tell you! Just promise me you won't hurt me anymore!"

"Very well." Teddy lowered the knife and eased her grip on his hair.

"They're heading to the next location. It's an old factory outside of Erudite. They'll stay there for now. Evelyn's not very happy with what happened."

"Evelyn?" Teddy pulled his hair again, making him cringe.

"Ah! Yes! Yes, she's the leader of the Factionless! She told us to get the serum! That's why we took you! We knew you didn't know anything, we were trying to make a deal!"

"Then why'd you go along with it?"

"Because they'll kill me! You'll all kill me! Because I'm Divergent." And there it was. An admission no one had expected. The room was very still for a moment. And then Teddy spoke again.

"Thank you for your Candor." And, looking into the two-way mirror, she slit his throat.

"Goddammit, Teddy." Max looked exhausted when she finally exited the room. The young woman saw a million different thoughts racing through his head, each lighting his face with different expressions.

"We have our orders." Teddy told him with a shrug. "Jeanine wouldn't have wanted a trial when she found out." Max sighed heavily through his nose. If this didn't prove to Jeanine whose side she was on, Teddy didn't know what would.

"Yeah, I know, but…this is messier than she would have liked." Teddy didn't miss Eric's smirk.

"My apologies." Teddy folded her arms and watched with the other leaders as a few people came in to clean everything up. "I was feeling a tad bit indulgent." The other leaders, minus Eric, weren't sure whether to chuckle or nod in understanding of what she went through.

"I'll start the patrol units around Erudite. And we'll need to round up a few squads to start looking for this Evelyn." Andre told them. Teddy made to speak, as that was all now under her jurisdiction; Andre was now the weapons specialist. He had no business doing Teddy's job. "Get some rest, Teddy, I'll go over the patrols with you later." Eric didn't miss the tick in the young woman's jaw, irritated that she was still being treated as an invalid, despite being cleared. Teddy wasn't sure she'd make it another week.

"C'mon." Eric led the way back to his apartment and the young woman did not miss the bulge in his pants, though he wasn't exactly trying to cover it up. Seeing the affect she had on him only riled her up even further.

"I'm sorry." Eric furrowed his brows at her.

"What for?" She shrugged.

"For leaving you high and dry. It seemed like you wanted to have a bit of fun with him, too." His lips slowly formed into a bemused smile that left her breathless. "I could make it up to you." She inched closer to him, her hand sneakily travelling down his torso until she cupped his bulge and massaged him through his trousers. Eric let out a heavy breath at her ministrations, wondering just where this playful attitude of hers was coming from. Had she really had that much fun breaking that man? He shook the thought away, of course she had! And he'd had almost as much fun watching her. He loved seeing what she was capable of.

"Oh, fuck," he breathed out as Teddy stealthily slipped her hand past the waistband of his trousers and boxers and cupped him without any barriers, her delicate fingers tracing the veins of his cock. "What has gotten into you, today?"

"Are you complaining?" She gave him a playful smile, causing him to smirk again.

"If this is what I get, then no." He moved to kiss her, but she dropped to her knees at the last second and unbuttoned his pants, splaying them low on his hips. Teddy began to pump him slowly, her parted lips ghosting along his hips and pelvis, taunting him with her delicate touch. Unconsciously, he jutted his hips toward her face, eager for her to take him fully in her mouth.

Instead, she placed an audacious kiss to the tip before delicately licking up the underside of his shaft. Eric's hands were curled into tight fists at his sides, leaning back against the wall when Teddy flattened her tongue to repeat her previous action. She flicked the tip of her tongue at the head and it had Eric shuddering as a bit of precum spurted from the tip of his cock and Teddy wasted no time in spreading it as a bit of lubricant down his member. And then, finally, her lips were around his cock, slowly inching down, taking him fully. Eric's hands found her hair, tugging none too lightly, but not forcing her to go any faster than she was. If she wanted to torture him with this, then he'd allow it.

His jaw went slack as her head bobbed up and down, her tongue swirling dangerously around his shaft. It was obvious that Teddy was a bit out of practice at this act of debauchery, but Eric certainly wasn't complaining. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to have them both stay in this position for the rest of their lives. When he voiced it to her, she groaned while staring up at him. The vibrations sent shivers up Eric's spine and as his dick hardened further and began to throb, he knew he wouldn't last long.

"Teddy," he tried to warn with a grunt, pulling even tighter at her hair. With one hand, Teddy gripped Eric's backside, keeping him close. And with the other, she began pumping the base of his cock, keeping the rhythm smooth and quick. His hands were shaking and when his cock swelled even further, he hunched over just slightly with a short groan as he came inside Teddy's mouth. "Jesus Christ, Teddy," he panted, trying to regain some semblance of control.

"Fuck, you taste good." Teddy groaned once she'd milked him of every drop and swallowed everything. "Wanna taste?" Eric pulled her quickly to her feet.

"Of you." He answered heatedly. He pulled her into him, and Teddy's headache was completely forgotten.

* * *

 **Here's the latest instalment. Hope you guys like it. Let me know your thoughts :)**


	24. Chapter 23

Later that night, Teddy's thoughts raced, keeping her awake even though Eric had done all he could to tire her out. She'd been mildly agitated at Andre for taking control of the patrols. That was her department and she could handle it just fine even while looking for the men who'd kidnapped her. In fact, it only spurred her further on. So she and Eric had sparred for a few hours in the gym before heading back home, where Eric slammed his hips against hers until she'd lost track of how many times she'd cried out his name and only then had he fallen asleep.

He was half on top of her and she relished the warmth of his smooth skin as her mind kept racing. Eric's breath tickled her neck with every exhale, but she didn't dare push him away. She savored the late nights like these, where he kept her close and warm. And despite her insomnia, she cherished seeing him this way, his body at rest and his mind at peace. It was also the few instances he didn't mind her playing with his shorn hair or the intricate tattoos on his forearms. So, as the thoughts from Jeanine's meeting and the words of the renegade flew across her mind, Teddy raked her nails softly through the blond tendrils.

"Go to sleep." Teddy hadn't meant to wake him, though she had to admit, she loved hearing his sleepy voice.

"I'm trying." Teddy sighed.

"Are you still mad at Andre?" Teddy shook her head. "Then what's wrong?" The younger leader sighed, trying to form her sleepy thoughts into coherent sentences.

"The Factionless know that Jeanine is after Divergents. So if this Evelyn person sent them to Dauntless, then she must know, too." She felt Eric nod against her shoulder. "We already had moles infiltrate Dauntless, who's to say she hasn't placed anyone in Erudite? Or what if she has people from the factions giving her information?" Eric exhaled sharply at the thought. It certainly wasn't a crazy notion. No one gave the Factionless much thought unless a small group was in an uproar, which was known to happen from time to time. But it was why no one had suspected a group of the Factionless to kidnap a leader in training. And after the bombing, it seemed anything was fair game. Other than them wanting the serum, no one thought that the Factionless had any more of an agenda. But the leaders should have known which serum they were talking about. They should have realized right then that the Factionless knew what they were up to.

Though, Eric thought it would have ended then when he beat one of the moles to a bloody pulp.

Although, in Eric's defense, he wasn't thinking clearly. A group of moles had kidnapped his candidate and had been insolent enough to send videos of her torture. He hadn't been eating or sleeping very well, but had focused all of his attention on finding Teddy and getting rid of the moles in his faction. How did he miss that it was all part of a bigger plan? He'd been horribly distracted and now he was agitated that they were a few steps behind the Factionless. Although, he'd rather know now that be taken even further by surprise.

"I'll talk to Max tomorrow." Teddy murmured against his neck. "And then I'll get a squad ready to send to Erudite."

"I thought Andre was taking care of that." Eric grumbled against her.

"Fuck Andre." She was still a bit peeved that he'd decided to take over her job.

"I'd rather fuck you." Suddenly, his mouth was moving against her neck and she almost forgot how to breathe.

"Did you not get enough playtime earlier?" Teddy didn't need the light on to see Eric's smirk. "Whatever Andre thinks, I don't need more rest." She accepted Eric's hot kisses, their tongues lazily intertwining as their hands roamed over each other languidly. "I'm more than capable of leading a squadron and finding the bitch."

"You've never done anything less than your best." Eric kissed her soundly. "So I have no doubt that you'll find her and make her pay for everything."

* * *

 _Her hands were covered in blood. But no, those weren't her hands, they were much too small. These were a child's hands. But there was her mother, crying. And her father was in the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards. She could hear the glasses clinking, but no, those were vials of…something._

 _"Mommy?" The redheaded woman looked up. "Did I do a bad thing?" Her mother looked unsure of how to answer._

 _"Yes, Teddy. We've taught you not to hurt others. Why did you do it?" And she was back to sobbing and Teddy didn't quite understand why everyone was so upset._

* * *

Teddy woke with a start. Her head was pounding and she was incredibly thirsty. Eric was already up. She could smell the coffee brewing, so she threw on a robe to join him in the kitchen. He sent her a look as she poured herself a cup of the hot beverage. He was leaning against the counter, relaxed in his own apartment, but his brows were furrowed in question, one that she didn't really want to answer.

"It's just my head." Teddy mumbled as she stirred the creamer into the coffee. "It's been aching since they took me off the pain pills." That had him quirk his pierced eyebrow. "No." Her tone was firm. She was not going back to the infirmary. "I'll be fine. My body just needs to adjust." Then Eric nodded. While Teddy was used to Eric's nonverbal demeanor, it was worse when he first woke up. He certainly wasn't a morning person, but it hadn't taken long for Teddy to understand what each grunt, quirk of his eyebrow or tick of his jaw meant. She liked to think she'd become fairly fluent in Eric.

"Let me talk to Max." Teddy locked eyes with him. "You focus on forming and training the squad to find Evelyn." She gave a single nod and turned to get properly dressed for the day, aware of Eric's scrutiny on her the entire time.

* * *

The next couple of weeks saw Teddy sitting in her office late into the night, going over the patrols that Andre kept attempting to assemble before getting distracted by the delivery of weapons for the upcoming initiation. There were still a couple of months to prepare, but time had a knack for getting away from them all. Eric was already trying to find a way to get out of monitoring initiation and Mathias had told Teddy that Four was silently seething about working with Eric again…as if he'd ever been overly verbal about something he disagreed with.

Teddy's headaches were getting worse, but she still refused to go to the infirmary for something even as mild as an aspirin. The last thing she needed was another evaluation and more pills shoved down her throat. She knew that if she did her job and caught the Factionless rebels, then things could return to normal. People experienced physical affects from PTSD all the time. But this was nothing she couldn't handle.

* * *

 _She was sitting on her bed for what felt like hours before finally huffing as she stood up, only to find that she was strapped to the bed. Only, it wasn't her bed. And this wasn't her room. She was in a stark white room with no windows. When she grasped and struggled, her door finally burst open on its own accord and she could witness her parents screaming at each other as well as other doctors._

 _"She's a child! You can't experiment on her!" She was able to recognize her mother, with her wild red curls spilling out of her usual bun._

 _"Her results are inconclusive!" That was a doctor that must have worked with her father because Teddy could vaguely remember him._

 _"Her brain hasn't developed fully!" Another doctor Teddy knew she remembered somehow_

 _"There's clearly something wrong!" And that was her father, bags under his eyes and blue eyes rimmed with red from either exhaustion or tears, Teddy couldn't tell._

 _"What she does is not normal!" This wasn't a doctor. Well, not a medical one. Teddy recognized her. But how? She was dressed differently than the others, carrying a thick binder with Teddy's name on it. Her real name. The one her parents had given to her at birth. "My vote is for the serum."_

* * *

 **Sorry this chapter's so short, but hopefully it gives you a bit more insight to Teddy's past. And I'm curious to see what you any of you think Teddy's real name is ;)**


	25. Chapter 24

Teddy woke with a start. Eric was leaning over her with a hand braced around the base of her neck. Her eyes felt heavy and she realized she'd fallen asleep in her office. The dream had left her a bit shaken. She'd seen that scene over and over while going over her fear landscapes. But that dream had added details that she knew now had long since been forgotten. She hadn't even realized that it had been an actual memory.

Teddy knew her father had run a series of tests on her when she was little. It had only told her all the social and mental disorders she had and it had told her parents how to best raise her. She had no recollection of anyone else involved, and certainly not of any serums involved.

"Teddy?" Eric's brows were furrowed as he looked down at her dazed expression.

"I'm fine." She ran a hand up and down his arm. "Just a little tired."

"You were talking in your sleep." Teddy quirked a brow at that, but didn't give him any more information. Instead, she looked down at the paperwork she'd been going over the past while. The patrols were almost ready to go. The renegades were rumored to still be near Erudite and they would be the ones to tell them where Evelyn was. "Coffee or bed?" Teddy looked back up to see that Eric was holding a mug of a steaming beverage and she took it gratefully.

"Thank you," she took a sip of it before looking back at the paperwork. "We should be good tomorrow." She looked back up at Eric. "Just try not to kill any of the rebels before I get them to talk." Eric smirked.

"You only need one. That leaves nine to play with." Teddy couldn't help the flush running up her neck. The thought of torturing another kidnapper made her heart race.

"Seven. If you remember, I…I had a bit of fun with two of them." That got an actual smile from the man before her. That smile had her biting her lip and her toes curling.

"I may have lost it a little with those two." There was a playful glint in his gray eyes.

"You were very generous in leaving them for me. You're very good to me." She took another sip of her coffee, made just how she liked it. And then she felt Eric's large hand palm up into her hair. He gripped it firmly, but not painfully, and pulled so she was looking up to him fully as he knelt over her, foreheads meeting.

"Anything for you." And as much as Teddy cherished this soft version of her lover, she had the nagging feeling at the back of her mind that something else was going on and that whatever he knew, he wasn't telling her.

* * *

Teddy had been dwelling on her dream all week. She hardly ever remembered her dreams. Though there were the few nightmares that had stuck with her since being kidnapped and now these two dreams that felt more like memories. Whenever she saw those scenes in her sleep, she woke up with a pounding headache and she couldn't figure out why the two were connected. She always took a mild pain killer with some coffee, hoping the caffeine would ease the throbbing at the back of her skull.

Eric had been hovering. Especially when the Special Forces had searched all of Erudite for the wanted men, only to come up with nothing. When the Lieutenant had come back with the bad news, Teddy had thanked the woman, told her to keep her soldiers ready for any news and had been thoroughly calm throughout the entire ordeal.

And then she'd headed straight to her office.

Eric had thought she might want to spar, do some shooting, maybe even head back to the apartment and fuck it out. He'd even been prepared to let her take on the dominant role, if that's what she needed. But he certainly hadn't expected her to pop a pain pill and look into some psychiatric files from Erudite.

And so, as the week progressed, Eric was constantly at her side. He sat close to her at meals, his eyes not missing each morsel she put into her mouth. He walked her to each meeting, even if he wasn't needed. He asked for her input over and over again with each little thing. He was running himself ragged trying to figure out what was going on inside her head. He'd told her twice before that there was no need to hide from him and he'd meant it. So he didn't understand the lack of communication between the two of them. She'd always been quite exceptional at reading him and vice versa. True, he certainly had a head start with seeing all her files once she'd transferred. But even then, there had been a natural understanding between the pair. Always had been, even during her initiation. But he had expected that, even if she couldn't remember.

"Eric?" His eyes looked up at Teddy from the report he was currently viewing. With Initiation so close, Four and Lauren were going over itineraries and how to rank them. Four, as always, wanted to do something different and the leaders had to humor him for about a day or two before resuming the norm.

"Hmm?"

"I think your office needs dusting." Teddy was typing something out on her computer before looking down at some paperwork sitting to the side.

"No, the janitors clean it out every night." He went back to the notes Four had left on nearly every single day's schedule.

"Eric." Her tone really got his attention this time. "What's going on?" He knew what she really meant and he didn't have an articulate answer.

"We haven't caught the renegades yet." He kept his voice purposefully low and rough.

"What? So Max wants you to hound me until I get it done?" She was livid…but not at him, not really. Eric went to speak, but Teddy interrupted him. "I'm working on it, ok? They're just always one fucking step ahead of us." She leaned back in her chair with a sigh, rubbing her face in agitation.

"Teddy-."

"Fuck it. Might as well go with them. Get shit done myself." She was clearly done with the conversation, but Eric had more he needed to say. How he knew she was delving into old Erudite files and that whatever was going on with her right now had more to do than the Factionless who had kidnapped her and that the dreams and physical ailments she had now was more than just symptoms of PTSD. But then, she had to know that. She could certainly give him a run for his money when it came to intelligence. He wanted to tell her that there was protocol to going out with the Special Forces. But she knew that too.

"Teddy!" The woman in question was quickly making her way down the halls, flipping through files on her tablet until she came to one in particular. It got her to smile, that familiar predatory glint in her eyes that Eric had fallen for. And then she was knocking on Max's door.

"Max?" She walked in without waiting for a response. "I have it on good authority that the men we're looking for are hiding out in Abnegation. I need your permission to join Lieutenant Camden and her squadron to get these bastards." Eric couldn't deny the loophole through that protocol. And Max was just staring at the pair, three other officers staring at the leaders standing in the doorway.

"Uh…y-yeah. Yes. Permission granted. But I expect a proper report once you have the men in holding." Teddy nodded in acknowledgment before closing the door and heading out. For the second or third time in his entire life, Eric was at a loss of what to do. And he hated that, especially when it came to Teddy.

"You know, I think you should stay and make sure Four doesn't get his way." Teddy turned to face him. "He's a bit soft and…we can't have our initiates getting through on softness." Eric lifted a brow in amusement. She wasn't wrong. "But I know your job can be pretty boring, so if I let you in on this, you need to promise that you're not going to kill anyone…at least not right away."

"At least not right away." He confirmed with a smirk.

* * *

The renegades were caught with the Lieutenant, Teddy and Eric leading different groups in on an abandoned building on the outskirts of Abnegation. There was another squadron keeping an eye out for anything around the selfless faction, making sure there were no witnesses and no one was harmed in the capture of the kidnappers.

Most of them were surprised to see Teddy still alive, but the man in charge, the man with the iridescent eyes, he appeared as though he were more disappointed that Dauntless hadn't found them earlier, as though it had been a test and the soldiers had failed.

"Keep him alive." Teddy ordered. She was exhausted and her head was pounding again. It was probably a two-hour drive back to Dauntless and she hadn't brought any pain killers. "And one other in case we can't get him to talk." She knew that if she couldn't, then Eric could, at least. But it was always good to have a backup. "I don't give a shit wh-what you…" She trailed off, her speech slurring slightly. This headache was really doing her in.

"Teddy?" The Lieutenant seemed concerned. "Ma'am?"

"I don't give a shit what you do to the others." She found her words again. Then she turned to see Eric speaking to someone on the phone, presumably to tell someone to prepare some cells and interrogation rooms. Eric caught her eye and began to head toward her, and then there was nothing.

* * *

 **Thoughts? Concerns? As always, don't be afraid to let me know what you think :)**


	26. Chapter 25

There were flashes of consciousness. Someone was holding her head. Then there were people standing over her. She kept trying to speak but she couldn't discern the gibberish spewing out of her mouth.

"Do you know where you are?" Maybe the person speaking was a doctor.

"Did you take anything?" What were they insinuating?

"Has this happened before?" She tried to answer the questions, but her brain seemed far off and she couldn't quite process what was going on.

It was like waking up. She was lying in a room she didn't recognize and slowly, the rest of her senses came into focus. The air seemed much more frigid than Dauntless, but it was a different type of cold. The air here felt almost crisp, unlike the heavy chill of the Dauntless compound. She was hooked up to something. There were wires running along her bed and she realized they were attached to her temples and an IV was set in her wrist.

But she felt woozy; almost dizzy, as though she'd stumbled and was struggling to catch her balance. Her eyes burned each time she blinked and her jaw ached, like she'd clenched it too tightly.

Turning her head, Teddy saw people in blue and white outside her window. Erudite. She should have known. But there were a few people clad in black and she could make out Eric's broad figure, listening to one of the doctors. His arms were crossed and he looked incredibly agitated. But when he caught her eye, his arms fell to his side and he hurried into the room, the doctors at his heels.

"Do you know what happened?" Eric asked, peering down at her. Teddy sluggishly shook her head, trying to keep up. It was like her brain was five steps behind everyone.

"You had a seizure." One of the doctors answered. "Has this happened before?" There was a tick in Eric's jaw.

"If you cared to look over her files, you'd know."

"Induced seizures don't count." The doctors at least had the decency to appear sheepish at the reference to Teddy's kidnapping.

"No." Teddy answered slowly. This wasn't a normal occurrence for her, even after being subjected to induced seizures by the renegades.

"She has." Another doctor walked in, his arm clutching a thick file.

"Dad?"

"Doctor Bell!" One of the doctors seemed startled at the psychiatrist walking in. "I was told you were in the lab today."

"I can make time for my daughter." He gave Teddy a tender smile before taking note of the stats on her monitors.

"Doctor Bell? You said she's experienced seizures before?"

"As a child." The man finished his notes. "I sent you all the files from her childhood. If you'll check your emails, you'll find all you need." Teddy didn't miss Eric throwing a concerned look toward her father, masked only with a warning. What that warning was, Teddy didn't know. "Teddy, Eric's told me you've been having headaches lately. Where is the pain located?"

"My temples."

"I'm assuming that's where the Factionless struck the probes." The patient nodded. Dr. Bell sighed and clutched his daughter's hand. Erudites had a reputation for being coldhearted and manipulative. While that was true to an extent, Teddy's parents had been anything but. She'd been lucky in that regard. Which is why she wondered so often why she was the way she was. "Is there anything else going on?" Teddy clenched her sore jaw before staring the other doctors down and was well aware of Eric's nearness. The psychiatrist gestured for the other doctors to leave and Eric hesitated for only a brief moment before Teddy tugged at his belt loop, wordlessly allowing him to stay.

"I've been having these dreams."

* * *

A memory serum. That's what they'd given her as a child. Not only had they been testing her for social and mental disorders, but she was also essentially a guinea pig. The memory serum hadn't been used very often and when it had, the people had ended up dying. Teddy had been the first to live past the first three weeks of the symptom's aftermath. That's what most of the tests had been for, to make sure she made it through all the symptoms of the newly developed serum.

To this day, Teddy was the only one to have survived that it. Her father explained that it most likely had something to do with her age and how her brain was still developing. Add that to the peculiar way her neurotransmitters worked, and the serum managed to work perfectly on her. But even with all the blood work, brain scans and tests her father had administered, there still wasn't an explicit reason.

"Sometimes our bodies react perfectly to serums and sometimes they don't." Her father told her. "It's like an allergy. You just…weren't allergic. Your body processed it the way it would any other serum." It almost sounded like the serums they were developing to fish out the Divergents, but Eric assured her that it was vastly different. However, something about the kidnapping or the recovery had triggered her neurotransmitters to shift. In turn, this was causing some of the symptoms of the memory serum to make way. Although Dr. Bell and a few other doctors were positive that Teddy would be fine once given a vaccine and a prescription for pain killers to take whenever needed.

It was recommended that Teddy stay overnight for observation but she coldly declined, opting instead to get back to Dauntless as soon as possible. Erudite had always been off-putting but now it seemed worse. So Eric drove one of the trucks with her in the passenger seat. The ride was quiet, but Teddy's mind was not. A million questions ran through her brain, each one formulating a tangent of possibilities as to what could have happened and if it influenced her behaviors now.

"Teddy, what's going on?" For the first time since her initiation, Eric couldn't read her. The young woman wore a blank expression and if not for the ticking in her jaw, he would have thought she'd completely zoned out. "Are you feeling ok?" The truck was parked outside the compound and the ignition was off, but neither leaders made to move.

"Fine." Teddy croaked out, not looking at him. She was still a bit out of it, but had been advised to drink plenty of fluids and get as much rest as possible for the next day or so.

"You're not." He twisted toward her. "What's going on?" Suddenly, the millions of questions that only her father could truly answer turned to one that only Eric could. Teddy turned her neck to face him.

"You knew, didn't you?" Of course. How could he not? And it was in his hesitance that she had her answer. "You knew everything. Every test and what they were for. All the serums they injected into me. I bet you watched the videos, too." She wasn't referring to the videos of when she'd been kidnapped, but of her therapy sessions. Eric didn't say anything. Instead, he twisted away from her and slumped further into the driver's seat. "And I bet you fucking know why they did all that. But just like them, you wanted to keep me in the dark." Suddenly, Eric looked back at her, his gray eyes colder than usual and Teddy knew she'd gone too far. But she couldn't help herself. From day one she'd been incredibly vulnerable before him.

He'd been one of her instructors during initiation and therefore had shaped her into the solder she was today. He'd seen her worst fears before choosing her as his candidate for the leadership training and then he'd been her caretaker once they'd rescued her from the Factionless. And somehow, he'd always known who she was. And while he'd never outwardly lied to her, he kept many things hidden and tucked away.

"You're a fucking hypocrite." She snarled at him.

"Don't." He warned. "Don't start this, Teddy."

"How did you know?" Her voice was slowly raising and her skin felt hot with her rising anger. "How did you know!"

"Enough, Teddy!" Eric roared. "You don't wanna open that door!"

"I don't, or you don't? What the fuck happened that's got you all clammed up, huh?"

"You don't wanna know, Teddy!"

"I think I fucking do!" She retaliated. "Otherwise I wouldn't be fucking asking! I don't understand why you won't tell me!" Eric looked at her for a long moment and a sliver of hope rose up in Teddy's chest, thinking she might finally get her answers. But Eric only took the keys out of the ignition and began to exit the truck.

"You're better off not knowing." But Teddy wouldn't stand for that. She, too, exited the vehicle and walked quickly to keep up with Eric's long strides. She was smarter than to make a scene as they strode through Dauntless through the compound, everyone they passed parted, eyes wide and staring at the couple whose eyes screamed murder. And as they neared the apartment, Teddy started up again.

"Since when is anyone better off now knowing something vital about themselves?" She hissed. Eric exhaled sharply through his nose, agitated at Teddy's behavior.

"Since it won't make a difference. It doesn't change anything."

"Then why do you have such a problem with telling me?" She was now clenching her fists so tightly, she could feel blood forming on her palms from her nails digging in so harshly. She was itching for something. It was answers, but now her temper was so high that the urge to hit something was so overwhelming that it was almost suffocating. And Eric wasn't helping any. Teddy felt that familiar tingle in her fingers. She was getting bloodthirsty, and knowing that the Factionless rebels were just a few levels away didn't help either.

"It doesn't make a difference, Teddy! You are who you are and you've come this far, why does it make a fucking difference?"

"Because it seems that I don't know anything about myself!" Teddy cried out. "And everyone seems to know more about me than I do! That's the fucking difference." There was a pause. "Is that why you chose me for the program? To keep an eye on me?" Her lips were curled up in disgust, almost not wanting an answer.

"No." Eric responded calmly. "No, you earned that on your own." Despite his softer tone, Teddy couldn't find it in her to believe him. That sense of trust was gone and her chest tightened at that very thought. "Teddy-."

"Don't." She held her hand up to his chest to stop him in his tracks. She took a few moments to compose herself before peering up at the broad man. "We have work to do." And without another word, she left the apartment.

* * *

 **Thoughts? Concerns? As always, don't be afraid to let me know what you think :)**


End file.
